The World's water crisis: Turning the Tide - Policies for the future

This eevnt is being co-organised by the European Water Partnership, with the support of Veolia Environment and the Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WSSTP), and offers an opportunity to debate the international water crisis before an audience of EU and national policymakers, regional officials, business and NGO representatives, academic experts and the international press.

The Summit will organise environmental and sustainable development issues, including the effects of water shortages on industries and other end users, ensuring access to safe water in developing countries and also the potential for economic growth, technological innovation and increasing competitiveness in the water sector.

The European Water Partnership is an independent body jointly set up by the private and public sectors to act as a European coordination and information point for water activities. Its overall objective is to strengthen the European water sector in order to address water challenges at European and world levels.

Confirmed speakers include:

Cyril Roger-Lacan, Executive Vice-President and Member of the Executive Board, Veolia Water

Ushi Eid MP, Member of German National Parliament and Advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Vice Minister for Development

Carlos Fernandez-Jauregui, Deputy Coordinator, UN World Water Assessment Programme, UNESCO

Satu Hassi MEP, Vice Chairwoman, European Parliament Committee on the Environment and former Finnish Minister for the Environment and Development Cooperation

Lorents Lorentsen, Director, Environment Directorate, OECD

Peter Sedgwick, Vice President, European Investment Bank (EIB)

The Full programme:
Welcome Coffee and Registration of participants
08:45 - 09:15

Welcome addresses
09:15 - 09:30

Speakers:
Giles Merritt , Secretary General , Friends of Europe
Tom Vereijken , Chairman, European Water Partnership (EWP) , President, European Committee of Environmental Technology Suppliers Associations (EUCETSA)

Worldwide water issues - how Europe too is suffering
09:30 - 11:00

Water scarcity is a global issue, but its effects are also being felt in wealthier industrialised countries. Over 40m citizens in Europe do not have access to safe drinking water, and 85m lack basic sanitation. More than half of the EU’s urban water pollution goes untreated, and the problems posed by both floods and drought are on the rise. With good water governance acknowledged to be an important key to sustained economic development, how effective are national, regional and EU-level water policy initiatives? Is Europe taking the steps needed to ensure adequate and clean water supplies? How can we increase and develop cooperation and exchange between governments (central and local), knowledge institutes, private companies, non-governmental organisations, the financial sector and other civil society groups, both nationally and internationally?

Introductory remarks by Cyril Roger-Lacan, Executive Vice-President and Member of the Executive Board, Veolia Water

Speakers:
Peter Gammeltoft , Head of Unit, Protection of Water , European Commission Directorate General for the Environment
Cristina Gutierrez-Cortines MEP , Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety , European Parliament
Christa Klass MEP , Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety , European Parliament
Lorents Lorentsen , Director, Environment Directorate , OECD
Peter Sedgwick , Vice President , European Investment Bank (EIB)

Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:30

What would failure to achieve the water-related MDGs mean?
11:30 - 13:00

Within a decade the world’s wealthy nations are due to deliver on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In terms of water that means halving by 2015 the proportion of the world’s population now denied access to safe and affordable water supplies and to sanitation. However, as 1.1bn people today lack safe water and 2.6bn lack adequate sanitation, the aim of the MDGs to ensure that by 2025 everyone around the world will have these amenities looks increasingly unattainable. How fundamental is water policy to the political and economic stability of developing countries, and is it getting the attention it deserves? Can water failures threaten global development strategies? What has been the impact to date of the European Union’s Water Initiative, and its €1bn Water Facility? How can we innovate and complement water aid efforts with new mechanisms which might address planning, governance, implementation, financing, technology and infrastructure solutions?
Speakers:
Ushi Eid MP , Member of German Parliament, Advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan , former Finnish Vice Minister for Development
Carlos Fernández-Jáuregui , Deputy Coordinator , UN World Water Assessment Programme, UNESCO
Satu Hassi MEP , Former Minister for Environment and Development, Vice-Chairwoman, Committee on the Environment , European Parliament
Guy Leclerc* , Director, Water and ‘Grand Projets' , PricewaterhouseCoopers
Jorge Semprún* , Honorary President , Action Against Hunger International Network

Lunch
13:00 - 14:30

Can Europe pioneer new water treatment technologies?
14:30 - 16:00

Climate change, population growth and the impact of industrialisation on societies with fragile infrastructure are combining to aggravate the global water crisis. Europe has extensive knowledge, and experience of developing solutions in the field of water, but the fragmented character of the European water sector strongly limits its potential. How can we build and strengthen communication between the different stakeholders on a national and international level? How can technology development and dissemination be improved to exploit this capacity? What else should policy makers be doing to encourage industry research into new methods of water supply, waste monitoring and treatment and wastewater management? How can we foster technical, institutional and financial innovation?

Introductory remarks by Tom Vereijken, Chairman, European Water Partnership (EWP) and President, European Committee of Environmental Technology Suppliers Associations (EUCETSA)
Speakers:
Julie Hudson , Managing Director, Socially Responsible Investments , UBS
Claude Roulet , Senior Advisor, Schlumberger Water Services , Chairman, Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WSSTP)
Andrea Tilche , Head of Unit , European Commission Directorate General for Research
Peter Wilderer , Director, Institute of Advanced Studies on Sustainability, Germany , European Academy of Sciences and Arts

End of Summit
16:00

*not confirmed

Contact: Friends of Europe
Phone: +32 (0)2 737 91 45
Fax: +32 (0)2 738 75 97
Email.
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Further information.