Water Honored at Shanghai World Expo

Shanghai, China – “Better water makes for better cities” declared Mr Fauchon, President of the World Water Council speaking at the Shanghai Expo 2010 on Friday. Mr Fauchon was addressing a flag-raising ceremony to mark ‘Water Honor Day’ and the official opening of the World Water Pavilion, a joint initiative between the WWC and the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources.

Council President Mr Loic Fauchon hailed the strong ties between China and the World Water Council, describing them as a model for relations with other countries, and noted that China was not just working with the Council but was now a full part of the Council. “Water will be our common concern” in coming years, he said. Speaking at the same Ceremony, the Chinese Vice Minister for Water Resources Hu Siyi, described the World Water Council as the most important international platform working on water policy issues and noted that the Council had been the first NGO to agree to exhibit at the Shanghai Expo.

Visited by over 3,000 people a day – including a significant number of young people – the World Water Pavilion at Expo 2010 helps the wider public to understand global water challenges and provides insights into water’s importance to societies and economies. The Pavilion raises particular awareness on urban water and sanitation challenges, and a dedicated Kids’ Corner helps children to imagine their own ‘water futures’.

The World Water Pavilion presents some of the World Water Council’s own initiatives, including the Istanbul Water Consensus, which encourages local authorities from around the world to improve water and sanitation delivery and to address urgent challenges such as wastewater management and climate adaptation. To date, more than 600 cities from around the world have signed the IWC and will report back on the progress made at the 6th World Water Forum to be held in Marseille, France in 2012. At the Flag-raising Ceremony Mr Fauchon noted that the time “for easy water” was over. The world needed “new solutions”, he stated, and encouraged China to share its enormous capacity for solutions to water and sanitation challenges. “Come with us on our journey to provide access to water for all”, he said.

The world’s urban population grew from 220 million to 2,8 billion during the 20th century. The next few decades will witness even sharper urban growth. In Africa and Asia, the urban population is expected to double between 2000 and 2030. By 2030, the towns and cities of the developing world will make up an estimated 81% of all urban inhabitants. Supplying urban populations with clean water and ensuring the effective treatment and disposal of waste-water remained an enormous current and future challenge.

The World Water Pavilion will be open every day at Expo 2010 until the end of October.