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Stakeholders prepare for World Water Forum at National Stakeholders’ Forum
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I
n preparation for 2024’s 10th World Water Forum (WWF), the National Stakeholders’ Forum (NSF) was held at the Public Works and Housing Ministry’s auditorium on Thursday.
The forum served as an official announcement to international stakeholders, including political leaders, decisionmakers, bilateral partners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), business leaders, members of the international media, water scientists and engineers, as well as the representatives of civil society.
It was also a response to the framework agreement signed between the World Water Council and the Indonesian government in November of last year in Bali. It officially marked a series of preparations for the upcoming 10th World Water Forum (WWF) in Bali under the theme “Water for Shared Prosperity”.
A National Organizing Committee (NOC), consisting of representatives from provincial governments and ministries, was announced in accordance with Presidential Decree (Keppres) No. 1/2023. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appointed Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan as the committee’s chairman. He will be supported by deputy chairman and Bali governor I Wayan Koster and daily chairman and Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono.
The ministry will play an important role in leading the events, as regional physical infrastructure also plays a large part in the discussion of water resource management, especially with Indonesia’s uniquely diverse physical geography and hydrological characteristics.
“A landscape approach is applied in developing natural resource management policies, including water, which is in line with [the President’s] direction that infrastructure development go hand-in-hand with environmental improvement and restoration,” said Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar in her keynote speech.
“The implementation of natural landscape governance in the management of water resources is very important because the approach prioritizes balance with environmental conservation, developmental economics and human welfare through strong, comprehensive policy integration and law enforcement,” she added.
At the forum, the committee also presented the road map to the 2024 forum in Bali and invited stakeholders to actively be part of the discussion in improving global water resource management.
“This meeting will provide a timely place for the participants to discuss thematic, regional and political priorities. We expect every participant to [propose] their opinions and concrete plans of action to resolve imminent challenges in water resource management,” said Public Works and Housing Ministry secretary general Muhammad Zainal Fatah in an opening speech.
In keeping with the forum components, thematic, regional and political, the NSF provides a space to discuss the foundations of critical water issues, perspectives on water from communities from all regions of the world and opportunities for discussion with elected government officials.
The meeting also invited young people including students, recent college graduates and young professionals in various organizations and associations to take part in the Young Water Sustainability Leaders (YWSL) series of events. The program will help young people gain field experience in water sustainability and encourage them to engage with governments, industries and institutions in an international setting.
With ongoing collaborations between the public, government and public sector, as well as the upcoming World Water Forum, it is hoped that every stakeholder will recognize water fairness and equality as a right that must be accessible to all and contribute to a sustainable future in global water conservation.
The World Water Forum will be held from May 18 to 24, 2024. Aiming to be the “largest and most memorable water forum”, the forum will potentially boost the local economy by inviting 12 heads of state and 56 ministers, 10,000 delegates and 100,000 participants (including participants, exhibition attendees and small and medium enterprises [SMEs]) from 172 countries.
As a follow-up to the National Stakeholder Forum, a 10th World Water Forum Kick-Off Meeting will be held on Feb. 15 and 16 at the Jakarta Convention Center to provide public participants with essential information on the overall framework and how to engage in the planning and preparatory process for the World Water Forum.
