Three forums on water remained divided during the 5th World Water Forum, held in Instabul, Turkey, from 16-22 March 2009. Civil society and other organisations boycotted the World Water Forum in two separate events, the Alternative Forum, which focuses on environmental protection and dam issues, and the Counter Forum, which was primarily concerned with stopping the privatisation of water. Even within the World Water Forum, there was a significant physical separation between the civil society in the NGO village and the other pavilions. As a result, protests marked yet another set of forums, which separated decision makers from civil society and may have impacted the Ministerial Declaration which had a marked absence of the Right to Water [see the Democracy Now video report below]..

Related news: Water resources management: G77 adopts Muscat Declaration on Water, Source Weekly, 13 Mar 2009

Web sites: 5th World Water Forum ; Alternative World Water Forum ; People's Water Forum / Counter Water Forum ; IISD - World Water Forum Bulletin

Read more: Nick Dickinson, IRC News, 02 Apr 2009

Tags: governance, policies & legislation, water resources management