Asia International Water Week
THE ASIA INTERNATIONAL WATER WEEK
The AIWW is a triennial water gathering for multi-stakeholders to seek tangible implementation for resolving Asian water problems. It is organized by the Asia Water Council in collaboration with the authorities of the host country. Regional water problems that were discussed for three years prior to the AIWW based on the preparatory process will be raised as the primary issues from Asian water community and will be disseminated to the global water community with action plans to solve them and timelines for them by the relevant committee at the AIWW. The tangible plans to implement solutions by each committee will be particularly highlighted by organizing the sessions on the pertinent topics. Designing the future plans for collected action plans will be the core part of the gathering in the AIWW. Members and prospective members of the AWC including water related stakeholders and preeminent experts are gathered in the AIWW and share their insights and experiences to support and develop the activities of the AWC so that it consequently contributes to pave the way towards sustainable development in Asia. As the AIWW is held one year prior to the World Water Forum, opportunities to organize the major gathering for the preparatory process for the World Water Forum will be provided to the AWC members and the follow up actions will also be continued at the World Water Forum.
Where and when the Asia International Water Week (AIWW) will be held?
The AIWW will be held in every three year, one year prior to the World Water Forum by the Asia Water Council in collaboration with the authority of the host country that will win the bid three year prior to the AIWW.
What is difference of the AIWW from other Forums?
The AIWW will be the place to demonstrate how “Implementation of practical solutions” can be achieved throughout sharing its process from planning to implementing as well as follow-ups which is considered as the core value of the AWC working procedure. Priority for Implementation (PFI) based AWC major activities include Conducting Water Projects and Setting Primary Asian Water Agenda. Those two activities will be planned and presented at the AIWW through organizing the sessions or special events. Outcomes of the committee activities conducted and managed throughout continuous discussion among committee members until the AIWW will be presented by the relevant committee. The Process of seven SC’s activities from planning to implementing will be shared with regional and global water partners at the AIWW.
How can Asia benefit from the AWC and the AIWW?
One of the core values of the AWC is to raise primary regional water issues that are major concerns to the region of Asia to the global community and find practical solutions on those issues that will be followed by actual implementation. This will be fulfilled by promoting ‘Asian sustainable growth’ by successfully providing tangible and practical water solutions with appropriate methodologies. Accordingly, the AWC is to encourage common prosperity and achievement of SDGs by solving Asian water challenges with the stakeholders including government, MDB, ECA, public org., Academia & Research org., and international org. as well as civil society within the AWC platform. In this regard, the AWC will become a distinctive entity, which never existed before, only focusing on water related issues in Asia and providing practical solutions with applicable implementation methodologies.
How is the AIWW financed?
The budget includes the costs related to entire integrated process from the preparatory process to a follow up. It also includes the costs associated with organizing the AIWW such as the venue, the marketing, announcements, communications, etc. The entire budget will be financed by members’ contribution in the form of membership fees, sponsorship and hosting grant for the AIWW.
Throughout the three years of preparation, the Special Committees select the topics and develop the discussion agenda in coordination with the AWC members. Those thematic session topics are mostly relevant to the issues raised by the UN SDGs implementation and key agreements. By sharing knowledge and experiences, participants can gain insights and find solutions for existing water problems in the local context.
To raise awareness of the Asia’s water issues and seek political support and action, the Asia to World Statement is drafted by three different levels; among Parliamentarians, Ministers, and Water Leaders in Asia. Raising the importance of implementation and recognition in line with ‘Water Action Decade (2018-2028)’, the Statement will be declared at various water conference including the World Water Forum, World Water Congress and World Water Week etc.
As AWC pursues water projects to promote adaptable and practical solutions to achieve SDGs in partnership with diverse set of actors including public(governments, public organizations), private(enterprises), academia(research institute), and civil society(NGOs, International Organizations), this Water Project Business Forum will be an arena for seeking feasible projects and financing opportunities.
The Expo & Fair will be a venue to exhibit the latest technologies and products of global water companies and introduce water management policies and technologies of participating countries. It will be held to strengthen business cooperation and networking among water stakeholders. It will also introduce policies and technologies to solve water problems discussed during the AIWW and serve as an avenue for policymakers to exchange information with representatives from the private sector. Moreover, national pavilions will create value for the countries to promote their competitiveness in the water industry.