4 May 2017
Brazil Hosts Stakeholder Consultations on 8th World Water Forum
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
story highlights

Approximately 800 representatives of water-related organizations and communities converged in Brazil for consultations towards the 8th World Water Forum in 2018, which will convene under the theme of 'Sharing Water'.

At the Brasilia consultation, Benedito Braga, World Water Council President, stressed to participants that, while water is managed locally, poor water management has global impacts.

An initial round of discussions via the Your Voice platform, which allows anyone in the world to contribute ideas for meeting water-related challenges, received more than 20,000 visits and 555 contributions.

28 April 2017: Approximately 800 representatives of water-related organizations and communities converged on the capital of Brazil for consultations towards the 8th World Water Forum in 2018, which takes place on the theme of ‘Sharing Water.’ At the Brasilia consultation, Benedito Braga, World Water Council President, stressed to participants that, while water is managed locally, poor water management has global impacts.

The two-day stakeholder consultation, from 26-27 April, discussed topics to be included in the Forum programme and what further preparations will take place over the coming year.

The 8th World Water Forum is scheduled for 18-23 March 2018. The World Water Council convenes the Forum once every three years, and the previous Forum was hosted by the Republic of Korea. The 2018 Forum, which expects approximately 15,000 participants, will comprise some 100 sessions organized around nine themes that will be addressed through a combination of presentations, round tables and expert-led discussions. Preparations leading up to the 2018 Forum will include a regional process, a political process, a Citizens’ Forum and a Sustainability Focus Group.

An initial round of discussions via the Your Voice platform, which allows anyone in the world to contribute ideas for meeting water-related challenges, received more than 20,000 visits and 555 contributions.

Introduced for the first time, the Citizens’ Forum will involve various social actors and perspectives on water to promote broad engagement and participation. Also for the first time, the World Water Forum is allowing for remote participation through an online platform called ‘Your Voice.’ The platform is open to anyone in the world who wishes to contribute their opinions, experiences and ideas for meeting water-related challenges. An initial round of discussions via the Your Voice platform ended on 23 April 2017, receiving more than 20,000 visits and 555 contributions. The online contributions were presented to participants at the Brasilia meeting, feeding into their preparatory work. [World Water Forum 8 Press Release on Preparations] [World Water Council Press Release] [World Water Forum 8 Web Page on Citizens Forum] [Agenda]


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