From 28 to 30 November 2016 the Government of Hungary, in cooperation with the World Water Council, successfully organized the Budapest Water Summit 2016 to give momentum to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water.
During the three-day conference Heads of State and Government, Ministers, high-level representatives of international organizations, business, the scientific community and civil society have gathered in Budapest, Hungary to promote the practical implementation of water-related objectives in the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. The event provided an opportunity to highlight that water connects, it does not divide.
The Summit, organized as a platform to link political decision-makers with technology, financing and public support for promoting the practical implementation of water-related objectives in the SDGs and the Paris Agreement on climate change, received around 1800 participants and 600 Sustainable Water Solutions Expo visitors from 117 countries. The BWS 2016 provided platform for discussion for high-level representatives of governments, international organizations, members of the scientific, business and financial sectors and representatives of civil society from all over the world.
Seven high-level panel discussions took place during the Summit, including a special session on water in the context of climate change. The sessions featured members of the High-Level Panel on Water, a joint UN-World Bank initiative launched in January 2016 with the support and membership of country leaders who are working to mobilize support for implementation of global water goals.
Several events took place in parallel to the plenary sessions, including a Sustainable Water Solutions Expo, a Science-Technology Forum, a Youth Forum, a Civil Forum, as well as a Women’s Forum with the participation of H.E. Ambassador Katalin Bogyay, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the UN as a panelist.
In his opening address, János Áder, President of Hungary, identified water as the most significant issue of the 21st century. UN General Assembly President Peter Thomson, World Bank managing director Joaquim Levy and the Heads of State of Bangladesh, Mauritius and Tajikistan addressed delegates at the opening, and messages were conveyed from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Archbishop of Constantinople Bartholomew I and Pope Francis.
The Summit once again highlighted the centrality of water in fulfilling a transformative agenda for sustainable development, building prosperity and human well-being. This milestone event in the global water agenda successfully promoted the message that for all the countries helping sustainable water resources development should be the source of cooperation and of peace.
To learn more about the BWS please visit: http://www.budapestwatersummit.hu/
To read the Summit’s closing document, the Budapest Water Summit 2016 Messages and the Policy Recommendations, go to: http://www.budapestwatersummit.hu/budapest-water-summit/budapest-statement/budapest-statement-2016-780/
