Peace with Water

May 5, 2009

12-13 February 2009
Brussels, European Parliament

Poster Peace with water The Conference “Peace with Water”, held at the European Parliament on 12 and 13 February 2009, has been organized by The World Political Forum, together with the Groups of the European Parliament, basing on a proposal of the Institut Europeen sur la Politique de l’Eau (IERPE, Belgium).

Purpose of the conference has been the elaboration of a memorandum for a World Water Protocol (MWWP). Created on the base of concrete proposals of the various stakeholders of the water question and on the suggestions of the previous WPF meeting “From Global Warnings to Global Policy”, the Memorandum focuses on the prevention of conflicts, the promotion of water as right and on the safeguard of the world water patrimony for a responsible and effective management of water as common good, in the interest of future generations. The meeting aimed at inscribing water in the current international political process. Presently, the priorities of political agendas regarding environment and water, pivot mainly around the strategies, useful but not sufficient, of attenuation and adaptation to climate change, which central column is energy. It is important that the water matter is put in the agenda of negotiations that states will bring ahead between 2010 and 2012, in view of the new 2013 post-Kyoto agreements. The MWWP will be submitted to the attention of the United Nations Framework for the Conference on Climatic Change (UNFCCC), on the occasion of the conference to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Beyond participants of the level of Pres. Gorbachev, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Mario Soares, former President of Portugal and President of the International Committee for a World Water Contract, Guy Laliberté, founder of the Cirque du Soleil and of the One Drop Foundation, Marina da Silva, Senator and former Minister of Environment of Brazil, and various others, “Peace with Water” gathered Members of Parliament, representatives of local institutions and managements, international intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, syndicates, water management enterprises, representatives of the research and education world, associations and civil society movements.

The World Political Forum presented the Memorandum for a World Water Protocol during the 5th World Water Forum (Istanbul, March 2008) .