World Water Forum
Daegu & Gyeongbuk 2015
Introduction
From the 12th to the 17th of April 2015, thousands of participants from governments, parliaments, international organizations, academia, civil society, and the private sector gathered in Daegu and Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, for the 7th World Water Forum. As the world’s largest international event dedicated to water, the 7th Forum was organized at a pivotal moment: the final year of the Millennium Development Goals and the eve of the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. It sought to provide not only a platform for discussion, but also concrete mechanisms to ensure that commitments would translate into long-term action.
The objective was to explore how one can translate the Solutions exposed during the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, in 2012, in concrete actions.
Therefore, the legacy of the 7th World Water Forum included:
- Moving from Solutions to Implementation
- Bridging the Platform of Science & Technology to Water Issues
- Ensuring a significant place for water in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
7th World Water Forum: “Water for our future”
Under the theme “Water for Our Future”, the Forum emphasized the urgency of building sustainable strategies to secure water resources for people, economies, and ecosystems. Four main innovations shaped this edition:
- Implementation Roadmaps to ensure continuity of action after the Forum,
- An Action Monitoring System (AMS), which is an online platform to track progress on the water sector,
- A stronger political process, with declarations from ministers, parliamentarians, and local authorities,
- The launch of the Science and Technology Process, making innovation a pillar of water governance.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation and ensuring progressive access to water and sanitation for all.”
Highlights of the 7th World Water Forum
16 Implementation Roadmaps
Developed by more than 90 organizations and hundreds of stakeholders, the IRs provide a shared vision and strategy for addressing global water challenges.
Daegu & Gyeongbuk Implementation Commitment (DGIC)
A voluntary pledge by 21 organizations to drive progress on the Roadmaps and review achievements annually until the next Forum.
Political Commitment at the Highest Level
The Forum gathered representatives from over 120 national governments, along with parliamentarians, local authorities, and civil society. Three major declarations were adopted: the Ministerial Declaration, the Parlementarian Statement and The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Water Action for Sustainable Cities and Regions.
What can we remember from this forum?
The 7th World Water Forum marked a turning point in the Forums’ history by putting implementation at its core. With over 30 000 participants, hundreds of sessions, and new tools to ensure continuity, the Forum shifted the focus from debate to delivery.
The Implementation Roadmaps and Action Monitoring System remain as living mechanisms for accountability. The Daegu & Gyeongbuk Implementation Commitment gave visibility to collective action. The Forum’s political outcomes reinforced water’s central role in the global sustainable development agenda and anticipated the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals later that year.
As a legacy, the Forum demonstrated that only through cross-sector collaboration. By combining political will, scientific innovation, and stakeholder engagement , the world can secure “Water for Our Future.”
For the first time, the Forum introduced a dedicated Science and Technology Process. It underscored the critical role of innovation in transforming solutions into practice. Five priority areas were addressed:
- Efficient water management
- Resource recovery from water and wastewater
- Water and natural disasters
- Smart technologies for water
- Ecosystem services and the water-energy-food nexus
A Science and Technology White Paper was launched to capture lessons and guide future strategies. In addition, CEO Innovation Panels brought together business leaders, governments, and international organizations to bridge the gap between research, policy and markets.
The Forum also created two international initiatives:
- The Water Showcase, presenting case studies of successful implementation.
- The World Water Challenge, a competition of innovative technical solutions to global water challenges.
Together, these programs highlighted the importance of concrete action and celebrated initiatives that could be replicated worldwide.
At the 7th World Water Forum, political commitment stood at the center of discussions, reflecting the urgent need to elevate water issues to the highest levels of decision-making. More than 120 national governments, alongside parliamentarians, local authorities, and civil society representatives, engaged in a year-long preparatory process that culminated in a strong and unified voice for water. This commitment was translated in the Ministerial Declaration, which set out the collective vision and concrete actions of governments to strengthen cooperation and ensure water security for all.
The Declaration reaffirmed water and sanitation as fundamental human rights, committing states to guarantee progressive access for their populations. It also emphasized the need for a dedicated water goal within the United Nations’ Post-2015 Development Agenda, a call that strongly influenced the adoption of Sustainable Development Goal 6 later that same year. In addition, ministers pledged to advance integrated water resources management, recognizing its pivotal role in linking water to food and energy security. The Declaration highlighted the necessity of addressing climate change by strengthening resilience to water-related disasters, with governments committing themselves to active engagement in the UNFCCC COP21 negotiations.
Importantly, it endorsed the Forum’s new instruments such as the Implementation Roadmaps and the Action Monitoring System, as practical tools to transform political will into measurable progress. By translating political statements into mechanisms for accountability, the Ministerial Declaration ensured that water commitments would not remain aspirational but would instead be embedded into global, national, and local policy frameworks. This convergence of political will, human rights recognition, and practical instruments made the 7th Forum’s Ministerial Declaration one of the most significant political milestones in the history of the World Water Forum.
Science and technology as an engine for solutions
For the first time, the Forum introduced a dedicated Science and Technology Process. It underscored the critical role of innovation in transforming solutions into practice. Five priority areas were addressed:
- Efficient water management
- Resource recovery from water and wastewater
- Water and natural disasters
- Smart technologies for water
- Ecosystem services and the water-energy-food nexus
A Science and Technology White Paper was launched to capture lessons and guide future strategies. In addition, CEO Innovation Panels brought together business leaders, governments, and international organizations to bridge the gap between research, policy and markets.
The Forum also created two international initiatives:
- The Water Showcase, presenting case studies of successful implementation.
- The World Water Challenge, a competition of innovative technical solutions to global water challenges.
Together, these programs highlighted the importance of concrete action and celebrated initiatives that could be replicated worldwide.
A Ministerial Declaration to protect water for our future
At the 7th World Water Forum, political commitment stood at the center of discussions, reflecting the urgent need to elevate water issues to the highest levels of decision-making. More than 120 national governments, alongside parliamentarians, local authorities, and civil society representatives, engaged in a year-long preparatory process that culminated in a strong and unified voice for water. This commitment was translated in the Ministerial Declaration, which set out the collective vision and concrete actions of governments to strengthen cooperation and ensure water security for all.
The Declaration reaffirmed water and sanitation as fundamental human rights, committing states to guarantee progressive access for their populations. It also emphasized the need for a dedicated water goal within the United Nations’ Post-2015 Development Agenda, a call that strongly influenced the adoption of Sustainable Development Goal 6 later that same year. In addition, ministers pledged to advance integrated water resources management, recognizing its pivotal role in linking water to food and energy security. The Declaration highlighted the necessity of addressing climate change by strengthening resilience to water-related disasters, with governments committing themselves to active engagement in the UNFCCC COP21 negotiations.
Importantly, it endorsed the Forum’s new instruments such as the Implementation Roadmaps and the Action Monitoring System, as practical tools to transform political will into measurable progress. By translating political statements into mechanisms for accountability, the Ministerial Declaration ensured that water commitments would not remain aspirational but would instead be embedded into global, national, and local policy frameworks. This convergence of political will, human rights recognition, and practical instruments made the 7th Forum’s Ministerial Declaration one of the most significant political milestones in the history of the World Water Forum.
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