On April 26th and 27th, the 2nd Stakeholder Consultation Meeting took place at the Ulysses Guimarães Convention Center in Brasília, a preparatory stage for the 8th World Water Forum to be held between March 18th and 23rd, 2018, also in the federal capital.
Bringing together more than 800 people from various countries and representing various sectors interested in water management, the event gathered contributions from society to build the world's leading forum on water resources. The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) participated in the event as the leader of the 8th Forum's Sustainability Focus Group.
"The Group, which operates across all committees, also seeks to influence the political declaration with a sustainability bias, debate and bring to the public, in partnership with the Citizen Forum, perspectives and solutions for better management of water resources in all spheres of society and, ultimately, leave a positive legacy for future forums and for society," explained CEBDS President Marina Grossi.
On the second day of the event, CEBDS submitted eight action proposals prepared by the Sustainability Focus Group to public consultation to structure the next edition of the World Water Forum in 2018:
- Preparation of an institutional sustainability video;
- Preparation of a series of recommendations and general responsibilities that demonstrate the commitment to sustainability;
- Conducting a final assessment to ensure that all messages (including key agendas and global commitments) are included/summarized in the Forum Commitments;
- An inclusive space within the Forum for all sectors of society to share their water solutions;
- The Online Consultation Platform – Your Voice – will provide access to the opinions of a large number of people from around the world. The Platform will also be useful for supporting the development of the Sustainability Commitment and for sharing best practices;
- Water and Carbon Footprint Assessment and Neutralization. Footprint offsets will come from actions related to the reforestation of critical areas in river basins responsible for supplying Brasília.
- Preparation of a guidelines plan to ensure that all procurement, structure, and contracting processes take into account the best socio-environmental standards and practices available for an event of this type.
- The main objective of the World Water Forum Sustainability Platform is to connect the results of the 7th and 8th Forums by creating an environment where it is possible.
The proposals were evaluated by a group of more than 50 participants who made contributions such as the development of a Communication plan involving the collegiate bodies; the participation of children and schools in the event; and the reinforcement of the dissemination of the online platform, Your Voice. All proposals will be in a report available on the website. 8th World Forum, will be evaluated by each committee and, if possible, incorporated into the event.
Your Voice Platform
A Your Voice online platform allows any citizen in the world to express their opinion or contribute experiences and exchange ideas on water challenges. The platform was proposed by the National Water Agency and is being used for the first time at a World Water Forum. Contributions can be made in Portuguese or English, but there is a translation tool for 90 languages. There will be three rounds of debates. The first was active between February 13th and April 23rd and received more than 20 thousand visitors in 35 discussion sessions that generated 555 contributions.
Towards 2018
On April 25th, one day before the 2nd Stakeholder Consultation meeting, the Business Engagement Water Forum, also in Brasília. The event, which attracted approximately 110 people, was an initiative of the Sustainability Focus Group of the 8th World Water Forum, held by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) and sponsored by Braskem and Coca-Cola. Read more.
