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Water for everyone' tops world forum agenda

Meet in the Hague Mar 17-22
BONN, Mar 9: Hundreds of water specialists, politicians, leading experts and top officials from across the globe will convene In the Hague, the Netherlands. March 17-22 to explore concrete ways for 'a world with enough clean water for everyone'. reports IPS.
Officially known as the second World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference, the gatherings will announce a framework for Acton, according to the organisers.
The events are being Jointly organized by the World Water Council and the Dutch govern-
A global think-tank on global Issues, the council was the driving force behind a longterm vision on Water, life and the environment in the 21st century-known as the world water vision.
The ministerial conference on March 21-22 is being convened by the Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation. Evclin Herfkens. The alm. a source In the conference secretariat at the ministry said. Is to place the water Issue more
squarely on the political agenda.'
Heads of several organizations of the United Nations system and international financing bodies are also expected to attend.
Participants to the conference will include representatives of social groups. They are expected to focus on how to Increase women's Involvement In water management, a young people's declaration and panel discussions featuring NGOs.
A large water exposition, the world water fair, will also be held to coincide with the forum and ministerial conference, with several organisations presenting their vision of the future ofwater.
Highlights of the world water fair Will include various cultural event#;
The importance of the forthcoming events tn The Hague Ues in the fact thal more that one billion people lack access to safe drinking water '
"Already some countries do not have enough. Sketching the contours of a strategy alined at ensuriug water security
worldwide a background paper by the World Water Council.
Another background paper, by Ismail Serageldin. chairperson of the world commission on water for the 21st century says: "More than one-half of the world's major rivers are being seriously depleted and polluted, degrading and poisoning the surrounding ecosystems, thus threatening the health and livelihood of people who depend upon them for Irrigation, drinking and Industrial water."
Overuse and misuse of land and water resources In river basins In both advanced Industrial countries and developing countries constitute the primary cause for their decline," adds Serageldin, who Is also World Bank vice president for special programmes.
"The land and water crisis in river basins contributed to the total of 25 million environmental refugees last year, which for the first time exceeded the number of war-related refugees. By 2025, the number of environmental refugees could quadruple." warns Serageldin.