Registrations are now open for the 8th World Water Forum, the world’s largest water event, to be held in Brasilia, on March 18 to 23, 2018. The Forum will transform Brasilia in the World’s Water Capital and should receive more than 60 heads of State, in addition to the greatest international water experts.

Click here to register. The Forum pass which entitles you to all panels costs R$1,138.00 (R$455.00 for students). The three-day pass costs R$680.00 (R $280.00 for students). One can still opt for the daily pass, which costs R$350.00 (R $140.00 for students).

“Sharing Water” is the overarching theme of the eighth edition of the event, which brings together representatives from Governments, academia, civil society, public and private companies and non-governmental organizations from various countries.

Held for the first time in the southern hemisphere, the World Water Forum is a space for dialogue and exchange of experiences and good practices related to the use of water, a resource considered by the UN (United Nations) a fundamental right of mankind. The program is expected to include over 200 debates during the week of the event, in addition to educational, cultural and informational activities.

The news at the Brazilian edition is the Citizen Village, a free and open space for the entire population, which will feature arena debates, exhibitions, lectures, movies, arts & crafts, talk shows and a gourmet food court.

The Citizen Village will be set up at the National Stadium, Mané Garrincha, located close to the Ulysses Guimarães Convention Center, where the debates will take place. Approximately 40,000 visitors are expected during the event period.

The focus on sustainability aligns the Forum with the Sustainable Development Goals for drinking water and sanitation (SDG-6), agenda established by the UN, which sets targets to be achieved globally by 2030.

The event
The World Water Forum takes place every three years and is an initiative of the World Water Council, an international organization based in Marseilles, France. It is composed by representatives of governments, academia, civil society, businesses and non-governmental organizations that constitute a group representing a significant range of institutions related to the water theme. CEBDS is chair of the Sustainability Focus Group, responsible for the sustainable actions of the event.

According to the Executive Director of the 8th Forum, Ricardo Andrade, who is Governor of the World Water Council, the event is a unique opportunity to show the world what Brazil has done regarding this theme. “The overarching theme of the event, ‘ Sharing Water’, means exchanging experiences, good practices and appropriate solutions among countries,” he said. “We intend to show how our country manages water resources and how we can provide alternatives to ensure water security in other regions,” he added.

Andrade emphasizes that one of the objectives of the Forum is to promote the engagement of society, managers and public authorities. “We have a portion of the population that does not participate in this process and they need to be involved in it. The event, above all, brings education and environmental awareness,” he pointed out.

The event is organized by the World Water Council (WWC), through the Ministry of Environment (MMA), which is represented by the Brazilian Water Agency (ANA), and by the Government of the Federal District, which is represented by the Regulatory Agency for Water, Energy and Sanitation of the Federal District (Adasa). The Brazilian Association of Infrastructure and Basic Industries (Abdib) is a member of the National Organizing Committee (NOC).

The previous seven editions of the event were held in Marrakesh (Morocco, 1997), the Hague (Holland, 2000), Kyoto (Japan, 2003), Mexico City (Mexico, 2006), Istanbul (Turkey, 2009), Marseille (France, 2012), and Gyeongju and Daegu (South Korea, 2015).