By: Felicya Lidya
The 10th World Water Forum (WWF) international meeting will be held in Bali on 18-25 May 2024. This forum is the largest cross-border forum in the world that focuses on discussing and handling water issues, which is jointly organized by the World Water Council and the Indonesian Government.
The 10th WWF Summit provided an important platform for all stakeholders in the water sector on a global scale. This moment is a major milestone in Indonesia’s contribution to the global community’s efforts to manage water resources sustainably. Indonesia’s strategic role in the 10th WWF Bali is highly anticipated considering that apart from being the host, Indonesia is also considered to have the capability to provide solutions and examples for water problems that exist in the world today.
Deputy Chair of the Secretariat of the 10th World Water Forum National Committee and Expert Staff to the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) for Technology, Industry and the Environment, Endra S. Atmawidjaja, stated that the implementation of the largest water forum in the world also involved many stakeholders, so that its implementation It is also carefully prepared both regarding the main forum and events outside the forum, such as fairs and expos , and the variety of arts and culture displayed.
WWF is the largest cross-border event discussing water resources issues. At the same time, as a forum for sharing experiences and innovation to answer various global water management challenges. This year in Bali, the 10th WWF will have the theme “Water for Shared Prosperity”.
The Head of BMKG who is also Responsible for Programs and Sessions of the 10th National Committee for Organizing WWF, Dwikorita Karnawati, said that discussions in this forum were related to climate, water, food, energy and health. The results of scientific discussions are explained, detailed, integrated with political discussions, so that scientific thinking can be implemented in society, so it is hoped that the output from this discussion will be more easily implemented into the policies of each participating country.
There are at least six main water resource problems that will be discussed through political, thematic and regional processes that need to be discussed to find solutions, innovation and implementation. The six sub-themes that will be discussed at the 10th WWF meeting in Bali include water security and welfare ; water for humans and nature; disaster risk reduction and management; water governance, cooperation and diplomacy; sustainable water financing; knowledge and innovation.
Indonesia will coordinate the Center of Excellence on Water and Climate Resilience , where existing alliances in Asia Pacific and around the world will coordinate with Indonesia.
Indonesia’s strategic role in the WWF meeting in Bali is a challenge for the Indonesian government. At this meeting, Indonesia must be able to create a very important momentum for global cooperation in protecting and utilizing water sustainably for the sake of shared prosperity. Of course, this role will show that Indonesia as part of the global community is committed to protecting and managing water resources.
Through collaboration across countries, sectors and generations, we can create innovative and sustainable solutions in managing water to achieve common goals towards peace, prosperity and prosperity for all humanity.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan also said that Elon Musk was invited as a public speaker at the opening of the 10th World Water Forum and inaugurating the Starlink service with President Joko Widodo.
Luhut is very optimistic, because the activities have gone well and preparations for a series of events are ready, such as the ground breaking of the Mangrove Reef Center between the Abudabi and Indonesian governments at Kura-kura Bali.
Through the 10th WWF, the Indonesian government is clearly committed to encouraging countries and water stakeholders throughout the world to place water-related issues at the top of the global agenda.
It is hoped that the 10th WWF can become a decision-making platform to place water issues as a top priority at the global level so that all parties can provide better water quality for a better quality of life for society in the future.
With Indonesia’s strategic role, it is hoped that the implementation of the 10th WWF will not be limited to producing documents or declarations, but will also be able to answer global water challenges and create equitable access to clean water in every country.
*) The author is an environmental observer from Udayana University