Indonesia will host the World Water Forum in 2024. Once again Indonesia has proven its leadership qualities in the eyes of the international public by opening a moment to share experiences and innovation in facing various global challenges, including environmental issues and climate change such as water problems.
The World Water Forum is a multi-stakeholder event to present the mission, views and achievements of the water community. Indonesia is also collaborating with the World Water Council to ensure that the 10th WWF agenda can be implemented well.
The 10th WWF was held in Bali with the theme “Water for Shared Prosperity”, none other than in order to answer global challenges and potential caused by increasing population growth and urbanization. Indonesia is well known internationally, one of which is because it has always been successful in holding international standard events, including previously the G20, ASEAN and AIS. Therefore, it is believed that Indonesia will be able to hold the 10th WWF agenda in 2024 well.
In this World Water Forum, Indonesia brings together all stakeholders from various geographical and sectoral backgrounds to discuss openly. The 10th WWF is held every three years between the World Water Council and the host country, where this time Indonesia is the host. The forum provides a platform where the water community and key decision makers can collaborate and make long-term progress in addressing global water challenges.
In a virtual press opportunity ‘Road to 10th World Water Forum: Water Security and Prosperity’ in Jakarta in January 2024, the Deputy for Environmental and Forestry Management (PLK) of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Nani Hendiarti, explained that since the last few years, the issue of water has become a global concern and a topic of discussion in a number of forums such as the conference of the parties to the UN framework convention on climate change (Conference of the Parties 28, COP-28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Nani also revealed that COP-28 urges countries and parties to accelerate rapid action at scale and at all levels, from local to global to significantly reduce climate-related water scarcity, increase resilience to water-related disasters, and realize climate-resilient water supplies and access to affordable potable water.
The 10th WWF moment certainly opened the door for Indonesia to share innovation with other countries. In this WWF, the Indonesian Government introduced the Community-Based Drinking Water and Sanitation Program (Pamsimas) where the Pamsimas program was exhibited at the 10th WWF as one of the good practices for water management in Indonesia. This program is very creative because it is implemented entirely by the community, starting from the planning, implementation, and management stages of built facilities by prioritizing local wisdom in each region. Basuki Hadimuljono, as Daily Chair of the 10th WWF National Organizing Committee and Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) explained that the government has been implementing the Pamsimas program for 15 years.
For your information, Indonesia was officially decided to host the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) in 2024 during the 9th WWF in Dakar, Senegal, on Saturday 19 March 2022. At that time, Indonesia received 30 votes out of a total of 36 votes from the World Water Council’s Board of Governors.
One of the agendas of the 9th WWF was the Ministerial Meeting which was chaired directly by Senegal’s Minister of Water and Sanitation Serigne Mbaye Thiam and President of the World Water Council (WWC) Loic Fauchon. This occasion was attended by PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono accompanied by Director General of Water Resources Jarot Widyoko, Expert Staff to the Minister for Technology, Industry and the Environment Endra S. Atmawidjaja, Special Staff to the Minister of PUPR Firdaus Ali, Director of Water and Irrigation of Bappenas Abdul Malik Sadat Idris as well as several representatives of professional associations.
As stated on the official website of the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, pengairan.bappenas.com, at the 9th WWF meeting, 5 main action plans were produced which were approved by Ministers from 60 participating countries, namely guaranteeing the right to water and sanitation for all, ensuring security and resilience of water resources, strengthening cooperation between all parties, ensuring funding commensurate with challenges and ensuring inclusive water governance.
On the official website of the 10th WWF, it is stated that the main objective of the World Water Forum is to increase the importance of water on the political agenda, awareness among decision makers, water sector and other professionals, the media and the wider community regarding world water issues of critical concern , supports the deepening of discussions towards solving international water problems and to provide a platform for exchanging views, information and knowledge on current issues and information related to global water. In addition, the forum aims to present knowledge about global water assessment, challenges and potential solutions and generate political commitment for improved water management.
It is known that the implementation of the 10th WWF will raise a number of sub-themes based on the big theme ” Water for Shared Prosperity “, namely Water for Humans and Nature: (KLHK), Water Security and Prosperity (BNPB), Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (BMKG), Cooperation and Hydro Diplomacy (Coordinating Ministry for the Economy), Water and Innovative Finance (Ministry of PUPR), Knowledge and Technologies (BRIN).
Indonesia has received international trust to host the 10th WWF this year, and together with the World Water Council (WWC), to make this international forum a success. The World Water Forum is an opportunity for water sector players to share innovations and experiences and provide solutions to various global water management problems, which of course also have implications for the welfare of the Indonesian people themselves.
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Writer : Reenee WA (Economic and Foreign Policy Observer / Former Journalist)