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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ISTANBUL 000133 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO STEVEN PIERCE AT USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ENIV ENRG PHUM PREL SENV TU UNDP UNEF
UNEP 
SUBJECT: PREMIER WATER FORUM UNITES EXPERTS, LOCAL, AND 
NATIONAL LEADERS IN ISTANBUL 
 
REF: ISTANBUL 128 
 
ISTANBUL 00000133  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
Summary 
 
¶1. (U) Over 25,000 people, including more that 100 ministers 
and several heads-of-state, attended the Fifth World Water 
Forum in Istanbul, March 16-22.  The U.S. delegation to the 
Forum was led by USAID Acting Administrator Alonzo Fulgham 
and included 70 technical experts from more than 10 U.S. 
agencies.  U.S. objectives were to demonstrate U.S. 
commitment to water and sanitation issues; build developing 
country capacity; and advance U.S. partnerships, projects and 
programs. Key issues of the Forum were water and climate, 
financing, and a right to water. End summary. 
 
Overview of the Fifth World Water Forum 
 
¶2.  (U) The World Water Forum (WWF) is held every three years 
and is the largest international event on water and 
sanitations. The Forum represents an important opportunity to 
demonstrate U.S. commitment to water and sanitation issues; 
advance U.S. projects and programs; and build developing 
country capacity. The World Water Council (WWC) and the 
government of Turkey hosted the 5th WWF in Istanbul from 
March 16 to 22, 2009. Over 25,000 people from 155 countries 
attended the Forum including more than 100 ministers and 
several heads of State. 
 
¶3. (U) The theme of the 5th WWF was "Bridging Divides for 
Water."  The WWF was organized into three parts:  Thematic 
sessions - over 100 sessions where technical experts could 
exchange best practices and lessons learned on a range of 
water and sanitation related topics; Exhibition/Fair - a 
collection of exhibits and demonstrations by governments, 
intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, and 
civil society; and Senior Official / Ministerial Process - to 
generate greater political will to address water and 
sanitation issues.  The 5th WWF also included a learning 
center, side events, partnership meetings, a two-day Youth 
World Water Forum, and a series of events for local 
government officials and parliamentarians. 
 
¶4. (U) Notable participants at the WWD included Abdullah Gul, 
the President of Turkey, Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, 
Emomalii Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, 
Moroccan Prime Minster Abbas El Fassi, South Korea Prime 
Minister Seung-Soo, the Crown Prince of Japan, the Prince of 
Monaco, and the Prince of Orange, from the Netherlands. 
 
¶5. (U) The U.S. delegation was led by USAID Acting 
Administrator Alonzo Fulgham.  Other senior members of the 
U.S. delegation included OES Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
the Environment Dan Reifsnyder and the head of the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers Lieutenant General Van Antwerp. While the 
formal U.S. delegation to the WWF number 15, more than 60 
experts from U.S. technical agencies participated. This 
included representatives from DOS, USAID, USACE, USGS, USDA, 
NOAA, USBR, NASA, MCC, DOD, EPA, and NSF 
 
Key Outcomes and USG Participation at the World Water Forum 
 
¶6. (U)  Thematic Sessions:  Technical sessions were organized 
around six themes: Global Change and Risk Management; 
Advancing Human Development and the MDGs;  Managing and 
Protecting Water Resources;  Governance and Management; 
Finance;  and Education, Knowledge, and Capacity Development. 
 U.S. experts chaired 24 technical seesions, and participated 
in dozens more, at the Forum.  Many of these sessions 
 
ISTANBUL 00000133  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
demonstrated the results of U.S. partnerships with other 
organizations and countries, including joint work with the 
World Health Organization and the World Bank. 
 
¶7. (U) The Learning Center: During the week, space and time 
were set aside for experts interested in teaching 
short-courses on innovative approaches to addressing water 
and sanitation challenges.  These were legitimate capacity 
building opportunities with as many as 60 to 70 participants 
spending several hours in a classroom-like setting with 
instructors.  USG agencies hosted at least six learning 
center courses, training WWF participants on topics such as 
dam safety, river management, finance, and water information 
systems. 
 
¶8. (U) Exhibition/Fair:  More than 100 exhibitors sponsored 
booths at the World Water Expo.  The Department of State 
partnered with the American Society of Civil Engineers to 
create a USA Pavilion.  The Pavilion brought together 
exhibitors from USG agencies and U.S.-broad based 
nongovernmental and private sector organizations under one 
banner to increase visibility to U.S. efforts.  While modest 
in comparison to many of the other exhibits, U.S. technical 
agencies were extremely pleased with the traffic it generated 
and the opportunity to reach out to new partners. 
 
¶9. (U)  The Senior Officials Meeting - Final Discussions on 
the Ministerial Statement:  On March 17, the GOT and the WWC 
convened a meeting of senior government officials to finalize 
preparations for the ministerial meetings.  Many delegations 
pressed to re-open the draft ministerial declaration on a 
number of issues, including the right to water, transboundary 
water issues, and human security.  (While any declaration 
from the WWF in non-binding, both the WWC and the GOT pushed 
for a ministerial declaration similar to previous WWFs.)  The 
U.S., along with several others, opposed re-opening the 
draft.  (The ministerial declaration was the product of a 
long, transparent, fully consultative preparatory process. 
All governments were invited to participate but not all did. 
The final draft presented to senior officials had no 
brackets.  While the declaration was far from perfect, we did 
not wish to spend additional time in negotiations.)  Once it 
became clear that many paragraphs would have to be 
renegotiated many governments reversed their position.  The 
draft was never formally adopted and several delegations - 
notably Bolivia, Switzerland, and Japan - expressed strong 
dissatisfaction with the process and vowed to bring these 
concerns into the ministerial meetings. 
 
¶10. (U) Heads-of-State Summit.  On March 16, the GOT convened 
attending heads of state for a one-day meeting intended to 
raise the political profile of water and sanitation issues. 
Attendees included Presidents of Turkey, Tajikistan, and 
Iraq, Prime Ministers of Japan, Azerbaijan, Morocco, South 
Korea, Tuvalu, and Kyrgyzstan, Price Albert II of Monaco, 
Somali Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange 
from the Netherlands, UN Under-Secretary-General Sha Zukang, 
UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura, and OCED Secretary 
General Angel Gurria.  Heads of discussed challenges such 
water security, climate adaptability and international 
solidarity through more strategic water use. 
 
¶11. (U)  The ministerial meetings. USAID Acting Administrator 
Alonzo Fulgham delivered remarks at the opening session of 
the ministerial meetings reinforcing U.S. commitment to water 
and sanitation issues.  Ministers then engaged in a series of 
round table discussions.  AA Fulgham chaired the ministerial 
round table on financing.  The discussions focused on 
 
ISTANBUL 00000133  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
developing and implementing national financial plans and 
strategies; building financing facilities to reduce the risks 
and mobilize resources; and improving the "bankability" of 
project proposals.  OES DAS for the Environment, Dan 
Reifsnyder, participated in the water and climate roundtable. 
 DAS Reifsnyder reinforced U.S. commitment to addressing 
climate change, urged strengthening the linkages between the 
water and climate communities, and suggested that the water 
community bring their expertise to the World Meteorological 
Organization's upcoming World Climate Conference -3.  The 
ministerial meeting ended on March 22 after Turkey declared 
the ministerial statement adopted. 
 
Key Issues/Themes Emerging at the Forum 
 
¶12. (SBU) Water as a human right.  Establishing 
water/sanitation as a "right" (versus a "need") was a goal of 
many at the forum including the WWC.  The U.S. opposed 
recognizing water as a right in the ministerial statement. 
This raised the ire of many governments (Switzerland and 
several Latin American countries) and nongovernmental 
organizations that see recognition of water/sanitation as a 
right as a symbolic step necessary to advance access to water 
and sanitation services.  At the closing Ministerial session, 
the Executive Director of the World Water Council Loic Foucon 
framed the entire WWF within the context of a right to water. 
 As one of only a few countries that vocally oppose a right 
to water, the U.S. is likely to come under increasing 
pressure from both U.S. -based and international NGOs to 
reconsider its position.  Note:  While the U.S. does not 
oppose any government adopting a national right to water or 
sanitation as part of its own domestic policy, we do not 
support anything that would a) require all countries to adopt 
a national right to water or b) imply that an international 
right to water already exists.  End Note. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Water and climate change.  Throughout the meeting, 
evidence was presented to suggest that climate changes may 
have a profound impact on water resources and water-related 
disasters.  Many in the water community fear that these 
issues are not receiving appropriate attention in global 
discussions related to climate change - particularly on 
adaptation.  Some of these issues were taken up in the 
ministerial round table on climate and water but DOS may want 
to give thought to how the water community might productively 
support the international processes on climate. 
 
¶14. (U) The financial crisis. There was general concern that 
the ongoing financial crisis might reduce support for water 
and sanitations activities. While acknowledging that these 
were legitimate concerns, many felt that the financial crisis 
also represented an opportunity to focus attention on 
fundamentals like strengthening governance and improving 
operations and maintenance. 
 
Other Events of Note 
 
¶15. (U)  A video message from Senator Richard Durbin was 
shown during the session for parliamentarians.  In the video, 
Durbin described his proposed Water for the World Act, which 
aims to ensure that 100 million people by 2015 have access to 
sustainable water and sanitation. 
 
¶16. (U) The G8 Water Experts Group met on the margins of the 
WWF. The group came to agreement on a concept paper 
describing a new G8-Africa Partnership on water and 
sanitation. The proposed partnerships will work to better 
integrate bilateral assistance mechanisms at the country 
 
ISTANBUL 00000133  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
level. The group also began discussions with African partners 
on the draft. 
 
¶17. (SBU) The forum itself was not without controversy.  The 
opening ceremony was briefly interrupted by protesters who 
unfurled a banner on the balcony saying "no risky dams," and 
anti-riot police used water cannons to disperse some 300 
demonstrators who gathered outside the forum (reftel).  The 
tension reached into the forum with unpleasant rhetoric from 
some speakers and questioners over issues including the 
privatization of water, the human right to water, and the 
ongoing cleavage between Turkey and Cyprus.  The USG was 
targeted when Cuba noted during the Ministerial Opening that 
they provide water and sanitation to 95% of their people 
despite suffering an "unlawful embargo" from one of the 
world's most powerful nations. 
 
Comment 
 
¶18. (SBU) The WWF is one of the largest international 
environmental event in the world.  The WWC has long believed 
that the key outcomes of the WWFs are the numerous 
declarations made by heads-of-state, ministers, 
parliamentarians, and others.  We disagree.  Unlike the 
negotiated outcomes of the WWFs which are not binding and add 
little new to the international discourse on water and 
sanitation issues, the strength of the Forum lies in its 
capacity to bring together a wide range of policy-makers to 
technical experts to identify and implement innovative 
approaches to addressing critical water and sanitation 
challenges.  In other words, the WWF's strength and focus 
should be on those activities that can meaningfully advance 
projects and programs that make a measurable contribution to 
the lives of people on the ground.  This includes the number 
of people trained, number of new partnerships launched, and 
the additional resources mobilized.  This is the approach the 
USG took to the Forum.  The U.S. delegation successfully 
demonstrated commitment, broadly shared knowledge and 
experience, and took full advantage of the opportunity to 
meet old partners and make new ones.  End Comment. 
 
¶19. (U) For copies of the daily sitreps reporting in details 
on key events a the WWF, please contact OES/ENV's Ingrid 
Specht at spectik@state.gov 
 
 
Wiener