Águas de Portugal at the World Water Forum

At what is considered the largest international event on water management, Portugal participated in several Forum initiatives relating to political processes. Portuguese representatives also took part in several round table discussions. Portugal participated in the Forum exhibition with a stand that brought together leading national bodies with responsibilities for the environment, particularly, the water sector. 

Under the title "Portugal: finding solutions together", the exhibition space featured the following bodies: Águas de Portugal, the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), The Water and Waster Sector Regulatory Authority (ERSAR) and the Portuguese Partnership for Water (PPS). Their programme of activities was aimed at promoting knowledge sharing, especially relating to skills and best practices developed in Portugal for the sustainable management of water resources.

In the case of the AdP group, this knowledge sharing took the form of several bilateral meetings, specifically with Portuguese-speaking African countries and the official delegation of Algeria. The AdP delegation also participated in a round table discussion in the Portuguese Pavilion on the question of "Water Access for Everyone". AdP also moderated a side event organised by the Portuguese Partnership for Water on the theme of "Sharing Water Solutions in the Portuguese-Speaking World".

Brazil’s participation in the Forum was particularly noteworthy, involving, as it did, a delegation of several hundred people, many of whom established contacts with the AdP delegation, including Prefects, Environmental Secretaries and Under Secretaries for the Environment and representatives from several different organisations related to water management.

Organised by the World Water Council, the World Water Forum is held every three years as a means of promoting dialogue between the many interested parties who operate in the water sector worldwide, seeking to influence the political decision-making process for the global water sector with a view to ensuring the sustainable development of the planet. 

The first World Water Forum was held in Morocco (Marrakesh) in 1997, followed by the Netherlands (The Hague, 2000), Japan (Kyoto, 2003), Mexico (Mexico City, 2006) and Turkey (Istanbul, 2009).

March 22, 2012