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Welcome addresses of international organizations |
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WELCOME ADDRESSES TO PARTICIPANTS OF THE CENTRAL ASIAN INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC-PRACTICAL CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERSTATE COMMISSION FOR WATER COORDINATION IN CENTRAL ASIA WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD WATER COUNCIL
Mister President, Ladies and Gentlemen, At the opening of this 47th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC) of Central Asia, please allow me first to greet all the participants gathered these days in Almaty. Let me also express my regrets for not being able to be with you today, as I had wished, to celebrate 15th years of successful work of ICWC for strengthening the collaboration on transboundary water issues in Central Asia. I have asked to my friend, Victor Dukhovny, one of the governors of the World Water Council, to read you this message and tell you the attention and interest the Council shows to your works. The World Water Council, created in 1996 has the ambition to be the Voice of Water, the Voice that expresses the seriousness of the situation and urges to put water and sanitation on the top of the political agenda. Water is not lacking on our earth, you all know this. But it is not always there where it is needed most. Water resources should be available anywhere it is necessary both for human development and protection of the ecosystems. Thus, due to the current demographic growth, the unlimited pollutions, the significant climatic evolutions, or due to bad management, water is lacking here, and is too abundant there. This situation asks us to rethink a large part of our water policies. The challenge is important and requires some urgent solutions. And we can pay tribute to the organizers of this conference, and to all of you ladies and gentlemen, for bringing your contribution to solving water issues through concrete actions and not only intentions. The sharing of water resources is indeed a crucial challenge that our societies are facing. There are more than 260 transboundary basins in the world. But very few examples where five states are working together, hand-in-hand. Five States that are not only dealing with planning and negotiation but also with day-to-day management and functioning of two weighty rivers: the Amudarya and the Syrdarya. Their fruitful collaboration is the proof that, even if shared water resources can generate divergences and even conflicts, they are also a chance and a vector for collaboration between States and enables to overcome obstacles. River Basins Management, as well as Integrated Water Resources Management, will be at the centre of our analysis throughout the preparatory process of the 5th World Water Forum that will be held in Istanbul in 2009. Your approach of IWRM, as well as your experience in coordinating basins management, will be very profitable to all of us, especially within the framework of the central theme of the next Forum, which is “Bridging Divides for Water”. Thank you all for contributing to the peaceful battle for water we are conducting, for water deserves extending hands, gathering hearts and merging minds, beyond the frontiers. I wish excellent works to all of you and great success to this ICWC meeting and anniversary. And I’m looking forward to seeing you in Istanbul in 2009.
Loic Fauchon
WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF
Dear colleagues, On behalf of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) and on my behalf, I would like to congratulate all of you on a memorable occasion, the 15th Anniversary of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination. Attaching prime significance to water being an invaluable gift of nature, rational use and protection of water resources, the Presidents and Governments of five independent Central Asian states charged leaders of water authorities to adopt a statement, according to which ICWC was established. The establishment of ICWC became the most important event in the history of the five countries. The 15-year purposeful activity has made it possible to achieve coordinated water resources management in a very dry region as Central Asia, and stable and equitable water supply for agricultural purposes as well as for other sectors of the economy in the countries. Your activities improving joint transboundary waters management, strengthening of cooperation and mutual understanding, are noted as examples for countries in other regions of the world. I wish you most success on the continuation of your productive joint work on rational use and sharing of water resources for the benefit of the people in your countries.
Sincerely,
WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen! I have the honor to address all my colleagues there on occasion of this outstanding event. I hope this ICWC conference to be held in Almaty on 24-27 April 2007, will be a great success, and give fruitful results for all of us. On the other hand, I sincerely believe that it will contribute to a better understanding of the water related issues in globally, regionally and locally. I would positively state herewith that the subject of the conference "bridge to future" together with 15 years Anniversary of Commission is considered as the clear indicator of this well understanding and solidarity. With its regional meetings, the 5th World Water Forum, would provide a scientific, transparent, intellectual platform for water community, parliamentarians as well as ministers and public at large and give applicable outcomes for bridging water divides in near future which was defined as main theme of the forum. All interested people including government representatives, public officials, private investors, advisors, supervisors, academicians, researchers, contractors and manufacturers would have the opportunity to follow up the practical solutions, and innovative technologies in water sector. I am confident that this congress will set the right tone and tenor of the deliberations on the topic. After the implementation of the kick off meeting on 19-20 March 2007 in Istanbul, then the organization of one of the regional meetings in Antalya on 22-24 March 2007, it is seen that a sound framework or skeleton of Forum has been established with kind participation and interest from all world. Our target is to form the Fifth Forum all together and is to launch a "Virtual Forum or Voice of Forum on the way to WWF5". We would like to make use of your network you already established. We have to take in count need to popularize WWF5 in the whole world, in this respect, participation from your region where the experience of Central Asian, Caucasian countries and Russia should absolutely be transferred to the Forum are utmost important for us. We are ready to improve the cooperation and collaboration in that region for preparatory works of WWF5. We are planning to organize some regional meetings or workshops in that region, and Russian language would be one of the main languages of the Forum for easy communication among us. I want to recall you that Fifth World Water Forum will take place in March 2009, in Istanbul where two continents meet each-other. Being the main organizer of Fifth World Water Forum or partner of WWC, I invite you all to take part in this prominent activity by bringing your experience, by sharing your know-how, by contributing to the action of the international water community. I will be much honored to work hand in hand with the colleagues anywhere in the world. Dear participants, thank you very much for listening me, I’d like to thank you my dear colleagues and friend to Prof. Victor A. Dukhovny who is director, Scientific Information Center of Interstate Coordination Water Commission for his kind mediation to my speech, Please accept my sincere thanks and good wishes for all of you.
Prof. Dr. Veysel Eroglu |
