By : Ahmad Rahmawan )*
Indonesia’s success in being a good host in various international events and agendas continues to gain the world’s trust. This time, Indonesia is trusted to host the 10th World Water Forum 2024 in Bali. The forum, which focuses on discussing the problems and potential of water resources for the world, will involve more than 172 countries who will be present on the Island of the Gods. This event will also increase Indonesia’s nation branding internationally.
The World Water Forum is an international conference held every few years by the World Water Council (WWC), a non-governmental organization that focuses on global water issues. The World Water Forum in Indonesia provides an opportunity for stakeholders from around the world to come together, share knowledge, and find joint solutions to global water problems. This also provides an opportunity for Indonesia to demonstrate its initiative and commitment to sustainable water management to the world.
Director General of Information and Public Communication, Ministry of Communication and Information, Usman Kansong, said that the 10th World Water Forum 2024 is a medium for increasing Indonesia’s nation branding internationally. Apart from reputation, the goal of public relations in this forum is important to have an impact, change knowledge, change attitudes, and most importantly change our behavior in treating water. Apart from that, this forum also invites world citizens to treat water wisely for a better future.
Indonesia itself is considered by the world to be capable of playing an active role in various international agendas. Just mention Indonesia’s success in hosting other countries in a number of international events such as the 2018 Asian Games – Asian Para Games, the 2022 Indonesian G20 Presidency, Indonesia’s Chair in ASEAN 2023, the 2023 AIS Forum Summit, and most recently, the 2023 U17 World Cup which was also successfully held in four city. Various achievements, Indonesia’s portfolio as host of world celebrations, led Indonesia to once again win the unanimous vote to host the 10th World Water Forum 2024 in Bali.
Environmental issues which are increasingly being discussed due to climate change make this forum important for the general public to know about, even the younger generation who according to surveys have more attention to environmental issues, and are a generation that sooner or later will be affected in the future if the current generation does not real mitigation actions for potential water-related disasters in the future.
The 10th World Water Forum in Bali this time will carry the theme ” Water for shared prosperity , water for prosperity.” This opportunity could be an opportunity for Indonesia for nation branding, making a concrete manifestation of Indonesia’s active role in world relations, which is in line with the mandate of the opening of the 1945 Constitution, in the phrase advancing general welfare.
Meanwhile, Special Staff of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) for Water Resources, Firdaus Ali, said that the international World Water Forum event would not only be attended by the Heads of each country but would also be attended by the Central Government, Regional Government, International Organizations, Academics, Practitioners and Business People from all fields. Therefore, this forum is very important to transfer policies and enthusiasm from all levels in managing water to create a better future life.
Firdaus also added that in global challenges such as today, water should provide shared prosperity, not be a source of conflict and problems that require sacrificing all the resources we have. We agree that the World Water Forum in Bali is a very monumental meeting to transform all policies, all enthusiasm for us together to face the future to make water a source of life and peace, not the other way around.
Politically, a strong governance and policy framework is needed to ensure efficient and equitable water management and distribution. Regional cooperation is crucial for addressing transboundary water issues, encouraging the exchange of innovations, and developing joint strategies for sustainable water use.
On the other hand, thematic processes that focus on specific water-related challenges, for example water scarcity, pollution and climate change, are essential to encourage innovation, knowledge sharing and targeted solutions. By integrating these processes, we can encourage cooperation, increase resource efficiency, and pave the way to a prosperous and sustainable future, where water is accessible to everyone.
Apart from that, the 10th World Water Forum will also explore practical approaches to solving problems related to water and disasters, the relationship between water, food and energy, and the relationship between water and quality of life. As well as facilitating interaction between policy formulators, practitioners, and science and technology, including ensuring that this forum can produce concrete outputs and benefits for Indonesia.
)* The author is a Contributor to the Persada Hijau Institute
