Exciting civil society initiatives
Pupils from Lycée de Marseilleveyre will participate to "Grassroots & Citizenship" © CIF
Water is not an issue reserved for governments, local authorities, companies or scientists. Citizens also want to contribute to debates. At the 6th World Water Forum, they express themselves through the successful “Grassroots & Citizenship” project.
This innovative project has been created for consumers and different stakeholders as a forum to share ideas and initiatives not exclusively reserved for political and water experts. The “Grassroots & Citizenship” commission aims to root the forum in local, national, regional and international realities. The commision collects, analyzes and qualifies projects according to principles stated in the December 2011 charter, which guarantee the projects will conform to the objectives and spirit of the event. At the forum's opening, almost 150 projects have been thus qualified. These projects increase delegate and public awareness of issues regarding water supply and sanitation, look beyond their immediate environment. Moreover, these projects present experiences and know-how that delegates and public could have never known without the help of the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille.
“Grassroots & citizenship” chose various approaches so that everyone, regardless of their profile, age, level of information or curiousity might be interested in participating. Different cultural events have been scheduled : ballets, film projections, photographic or artistics exhibitions, performances, concerts, conferences, … many of which reflect on the entire metropolitan area (Marseille, Aix, La Ciotat, Cassis...) and beyond (Montpellier, Corse, Gers, Saint-Malo...) and sometimes continue to influence after the Forum. In the Parc Chanot, there are more than 50 of them, including sessions on "Women" , "Youth ", "Ethics & Culture ", "NGOs", "Indigenous people "; as well as some thematic « Side-events » led by UNESCO, the "Feminine Conference on Water " NGO, network SME on water. Finally, some technical visits (where registration is compulsory) are planned to promote sites where the Water issue is discussed in an innovative way: hydraulic power plants, Port of Marseille, boatyards, water treatment plants, lakes, lagoons, and irrigation networks…
Bulle En
