World Water Week, organized from 16-20 August in Sweden by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), brought together some 1,200 experts from about 50 international organizations and representing more than 100 countries to discuss a wide range of critical water and development issues.

Urban water issues and future food requirements were among the broad range of issues taken up by the Stockholm Water Symposium during the week, as well as plenary sessions, panel debates, side events and seminars on diverse water-related subjects, from education to finance, poverty to politics, and sanitation to science. Other future challenges identified during the event include finding ways to produce more food using less water, and ensuring that new technologies and methods are made available to groups that range from farmers to policymakers, as well as identifying and influencing unsustainable food production and consumption patterns that require excessive water usage.
Wetlands experts win 2004 Stockholm Water Prize: No World Water Week would be complete without the announcement of the winners of the prestigious US$150,000 Stockholm Water Prize. Professors Sven Erik Jørgensen of Denmark and William Mitsch of the United States received the prize for their contributions to the knowledge of how lakes and wetlands function and how better to protect them in the future. Their theoretical and applied work on lake and wetland ecosystems, management of lake and wetland water quality, and lake, river and wetland conservation, restoration and usage has been acknowledged and implemented in both developing and developed countries. Professor Jørgensen and his co-workers developed modeling software for UNEP to support planning and decision making for the management of lakes and wetlands in developing countries and countries in transition. Professor Mitsch was the inspiration behind the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park at Ohio State University, a world-class wetland research and education facility.
Additionally, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, presented each year to high school students for an outstanding water-related project focusing on topics of environmental, scientific, social or technological importance, was awarded to Tsutomu Kawahira, Daisuke Sunakawa and Kaori Yamaguti from Japan for the development and application of an environmentally friendly organic fertilizer. An Honorable Mention was given to Ron Neuman from Israel for his development of an innovative microbial sensor based on engineered bacteria to monitor toxic chemicals in water.
Blue paper looks at investing in water for food, ecosystems and livelihoods: Launched during the World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, the Blue Paper report – Investing in Water for Food, Ecosystems and Livelihoods – highlights the difficult choices that must be made as mounting pressure from the world’s growing population for more food could lead to greater water consumption and increasing environmental degradation. The paper draws on research carried out by some of the world’s leading agricultural researchers and water professionals, most of whom are associated with the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture – a five year international research programme that will culminate in 2006 with a state of the world report highlighting the best investment strategies that governments, farming communities and donors can make in water management over the next 25 years in order to meet food and environmental security goals.
Stakeholders address financial risks from water scarcity: Another key report launched during the water week addresses potential risks from water scarcity to financial institutions, financial markets and society at large. Preliminary findings of a study initiated by SIWI and UNEP Finance Initiatives highlight the possibility of water scarcity becoming a significant source of risks to projects and investments, and call for assessment of this risk to be included in project planning and business projections. The report also recasts water supply problems as a chance for businesses to improve operational performance and efficiency and gain a competitive edge, and as an investment opportunity for financial institutions to propose sustainable improvements that can benefit business and water sustainability.
Links to further information
SIWI press release, 19 August 2004
SIWI press release, 17 August 2004
Blue Paper report – Investing in Water for Food, Ecosystems and Livelihoods
Risks of Water Scarcity: A Business Risk for Financial Institutions – Preliminary findings