The President of the World Water Council and the President of the 6th World Water Forum at the Singapore International Water Week

Loïc Fauchon, accompanied by a World Water Council delegation, went to Singapore from 4 to 6 July 2011 to participate in the 4^th Edition of the International Water Week, which gathered nearly 15,000 representatives, primarily from Asia.

Invited to speak during the South-East Asian Ministers Forum on 4 July, the President of the World Water Council urged the ministers from the region to make precise and lasting political commitments to support the cause of water. He also called upon the political and economic leaders present to make proposals to bring concrete solutions to the 6th World Water Forum, inviting them, thus, to participate in this major international event next year in Marseille.

The plenary session was also an occasion for Loïc Fauchon to recall, in front of the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, and 17 South-East Asian ministers, the necessity to “address, together, the question of water for energy and energy for water. The World Water Council asks that the principle of equality between water and energy be applied to future climate negotiations. An international fund dedicated to the protection of water resources and to the production of energy especially for water should be created rapidly. ”

In this temple of innovation and information technologies, the World Water Council President provoked some smiles by demanding “as much water as computers.” Likewise, he urged rapid implementation for water demand regulation policies: “Poor countries as much as rich countries must end all forms of waste,” he stated, before meeting with Mr. Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of Water Resources of India to prepare this country’s upcoming membership application to the World Water Council.

Tuesday, 6 July, the World Water Council President also opened a side event with the President of the International Forum Committee, Benedito Braga, and with Eun-kyung Park, aiming to present to Water Week participants the many ways to contribute to and participate in the 6th World Water Forum.

Finally, Loïc Fauchon, accompanied by Benedito Braga, took advantage of this visit to meet Mr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of Water Resources and Environment of Singapore, to evoke together pathways for closer collaboration between the World Water Council and the City-State.