2nd Asia-Pacific water summit APWS

Background

The Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) is an independent, notfor-profit, non-partisan, non-political network dedicated to solving water problems in the Asia-Pacific region. The APWF organized the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit which was held in Beppu, Japan and focused on the theme “Water Security: Leadership and Commitment”. The Summit endorsed the Message from Beppu and launched a series of concrete initiatives for regional water solutions. More than three years have passed and Thailand has the privilege of hosting the 2nd Asia-Pacific Water Summit (2nd APWS) in collaboration with the APWF and supporting regional and international organizations. The 2nd APWS will continue under the guiding theme of “Water Security: Leadership and Commitment” with an emphasis on three policy priorities for water security: Development; Shocks and Resilience; and, Well-being.

Objectives

The 2nd APWS is an important opportunity to present the royal initiatives as examples/ best practices for water resources management, promote active dialogue among regional leaders, and bring about more effective regional cooperation and coordination in water security in the Asia- Pacific. It will provide Asia-Pacific leaders and stakeholders, as well as international organizations the chance to jointly seek solutions on water resource development and management for regional water security with participation from public and private sectors, technical experts, academics and civil society. Awareness raising and knowledge sharing activities will be
organized in parallel with the 2nd APWS.

These activities include technical sessions, exhibitions, and a short documentary film about His Majesty the King of Thailand and his dedicated work on water resources and other water-related activities. In addition, Focus Area Sessions will be held prior to the Summit on the morning of 5th February, 2012.

The focus areas, lead organizations and subregional coordinators for the sessions include:

Water Security:  Leadership and Commitment : ADB
Household Water Security: UNESCAP
Economic, Food and Water Security:  FAO & UNESCAP
Urban Water Security:  UNHABITAT & PUB
Environmental Water Security:  IUCN
Water Risks and Resilience:  ICHARM
IWRM Process for a Water Secure World:  UNESCO

Subregions Subregional Coordinators:

Central Asia GWP CACENA & EC IFAS
Northeast Asia KWF
South Asia GWP SAS
Southeast Asia GWP SEA
Pacific SOPAC/SPC

2. Focus Area Sessions

Focus Area Sessions will be run in parallel sessions prior to the Summit on the morning of the 5th February 2012. The principle participants of the Focus Area Sessions will be Ministers from ministries such as finance and planning, representatives from local governments, leaders from the private sector and civil society in the region, as well as the media.

3. Awareness Raising and Knowledge Sharing Activities on Water Resources

From 2nd to 6th February 2012 there will be a number of awareness raising and knowledge sharing activities on water resource management and water security. These are open access events and participants include water resources stakeholders and the general public.