WORLD WATER FORUM FROM 16 TO 23 MARCH IN KYOTO (JAPAN) Water Management of the planet – Position of the Swiss Delegation in Kyoto
Bern, 17.03.2003 - By 2010, half of the population of the planet will be living in regions confronted with both a lack of water for food, hygiene and the irrigation of arable land and an excess of water in the form of flooding and other natural dangers. Countries, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and business organisations will meet in Kyoto from March 16 to 23 for the third World Water Forum to define a global strategy on fresh water. The Swiss delegation will emphasise the need to combine environmental protection and development to guarantee the long-term sustainable management of this essential resource.
The World Water Forum is the only occasion on which the issue of water, which represents a major challenge for the 21st century, can be globally dealt with worldwide. The third World Water Forum will mainly address the five following topics: drinking water and purification; water for rural irrigation and development; prevention of pollution and protection of ecosystems; prevention of disasters and risk management; resource management and sharing out of benefits. The main conclusions and decisions will form the basis for a declaration that will be adopted by the ministers of the countries present at the end of the meeting.
The Swiss delegation will be led by the Secretaries of State Mr. Philippe Roch, Director of the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL) and Mr.Walter Fust, Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). This delegation, which also includes representatives of the Federal Office for Water and Geology (FOWG), will defend the following positions:
- Ecosystem approach: The protection and sustainable management of ecosystems, in particular of forests, soil systems and wetlands that regularly absorb, filter and distribute water is indispensable to ensure the quality and quantity of water resources. The protection and sustainable use of ecosystems must from now on be integrated into the water management plans and water-related projects .
- Swiss strategy against flooding: A successful flooding prevention strategy must be developed for river basins. This strategy has been successfully implemented in Switzerland and could serve as a model for other countries with the same conditions.
- Flooding and drought prevention: In the context of cooperation and development, priority must be given to the prevention of these natural disasters that can destroy years of development efforts in a short period of time.
- Climate changes and water: The impact of global warming on hydrological systems must be taken into account in the long-term management of river basins, and in spatial planning, environment and agriculture policies.
- Civil liability: The establishment of a civil liability system for private enterprises which have the potential to pollute the environment beyond the national borders should be extended worldwide, based on the model of the protocol on civil liability that has been negotiated in the United Nations Economic in the Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) This would have a preventive effect by encouraging companies to exercise greater caution when operating hazardous industrial facilities. In the event of an accident, this system would provide for the indemnification of the people affected by serious pollution that has occurred in neighbouring countries. The Swiss idea, which has been successfully developed in Europe in the field of water, could be applied worldwide.
- Worldwide access to water: Water is a common asset of economic, social, cultural and ecological value. This value needs to be taken into account, particularly in the privatisation process currently under way on all continents. Governments, in particular, must guarantee access to water to the poorer members of society when distribution networks are privatised.
Publisher
Federal Office for the Environment FOEN
https://www.bafu.admin.ch/en
