http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/index/ en U.S. Department of State 2009-11-23T13:49:44+00:00 About the Author: Daniel Wilusz serves in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science Office of International Health and Biodefense.

The biggest-ever Fifth World Water Forum concluded on Sunday, and we the participants are scattering back to our four corners of the earth. The dust in Istanbul is still settling, but the message from Turkey at the closing ceremony was clear. "The forum was a success," declared a high-level government official.

In many respects, he’s right. Hosting an international conference for over twenty-five thousand people with a hundred plus heads of state and ministers is a challenge anywhere, but the “City on Seven Hills” made it look easy as Turkish pie. Most impressive to me was the friendly staff at every twist and turn of the forum – and even at the airport – always ready and eager to help.

The U.S. delegation talked to hundreds of people at our booths, convened a discussion about water with U.S.-based non-profits, offered new ideas at a ministerial conference on water and climate change, chaired a similar conference on water and finance, and on and on. In short we found every opportunity to share our experience and strengthen our partnerships.

Still I can’t help but reflect on a question asked in response to my previous DipNote entry about the World Water Forum, “…What has it all accomplished?" What will all of this dialogue and planning achieve for the billions of people without clean water or sanitation?

As the Acting Administrator of USAID Alonzo Fulgham suggested in his remarks at the closing ceremony, the impetus is now on us, the participants, to make sure it accomplishes a lot. To translate all of our talk to more action on the ground. The real success of the forum depends on it.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/water_forum_action/ 2009-03-23T20:08:40+00:00 About the Author: Daniel Wilusz serves in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science Office of International Health and Biodefense.

My colleagues and I on State’s “water team” have been preparing for months. Finally, on Monday, my colleagues and I joined over 20,000 water professionals, 100 government ministers, and 10 heads of state from around the world in Istanbul, Turkey, for the Fifth World Water Forum, the largest water meeting in the world.

The World Water Council hosts the forum every three years, and it’s an infamously overwhelming and chaotic event. The complete program of events was a mystery until late last week, and the paint on the main conference center is still drying.

Yet it continues to be the place to see-and-be-seen in the global water sector, and delegates from over ten U.S. agencies have come to participate in hundreds of events. And I’m happy to report at the halfway point: it’s been surprisingly smooth sailing.

The amazing thing about the forum is that it offers something for everyone. From VIP lunches to highly technical presentations. From exhibition booths selling detergent to wandering consultants selling "water solutions." From a roundtable on water financing for ministers to round tables with water-themed crafts for children.

The U.S. delegation has brought something for everyone, too. From a course on earth mapping from NASA scientists to a training on dams from the Army Corps of Engineers. From a popular booth on the U.S. Geological Service to fact sheets on USAID’s water programs. From a launch event for a new water initiative to a presentation on risk management for drinking water.

The event has not been without controversy. The opening ceremony was briefly interrupted by protesters who unfurled a banner on the balcony saying “no more big dams," and some 300 demonstrators gathered outside the forum.

But by-in-large the forum seems to be meeting its goal to find solutions to achieve water security. Which is good news, especially for the more than two and a half billion people around the world still lacking access to drinking water or sanitation.

So let’s hope for three more successful days for the Fifth World Water Forum, and to quickly achieving a water secure world – one in which we won’t need more World Water Forums.

Editor's Note: Read Daniel's next entry from the World Water Forum.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/global_gathering_seeks_water_security/ 2009-03-19T03:16:40+00:00