Who we are
History
The creation of the World Water Council reflects a desire to place water on the global political agenda and to encourage concrete action in the water sector.
Introduction
In 1977, the Mar del Plata United Nations Conference on Water was the first and only intergovernmental conference devoted exclusively to water — marking a milestone in the history of water development. Following this conference, no other international event was organized with the aim of engaging high-level decision-makers to prompt political responses to the world’s growing water challenges.
It was only in 1992, during the UN’s International Conference on Environment and Development in Dublin and the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, that the idea of forming a World Water Council was first proposed, with the goal of placing water on the global political agenda.
The World Water Council, a history and key milestones
April 2025
1st Kick-off session of the 11th World Water Forum. Over two dynamic days, representatives from governments, international organizations, civil society, and local authorities convened to initiate discussions on the Forum’s agenda. These conversations are aligned with global water priorities and set the stage for collaborative action.
February 2025
Follow-up meeting of the 10th Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was an occasion to draw conclusions from the 10th World Water Forum and have smooth transition towards the 11th Forum, planned to be held in Riyadh.
March 2024
The 10th World Water Forum was held in Bali. Under the theme “Water for Shared Prosperity”, it aimed to serve as a global platform dedicated to exploring inclusive and innovative solutions for critical water-related issues, particularly in accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
March 2023
The World Water Council participated to the United Nations Water Conference from March 22 to 24, 2023 in New York. It was the occasion to emphasize that “Water is Politics” and to participate in different side events to further the debate on water management and security.
March 2022
Participants from all horizons gathered in Dakar, Senegal, for the 9th World Water Forum under the theme of “Water Security for Peace and Development”. This was the first time that the World Water Forum, the largest international water-related event, was held in sub-Saharan Africa.
September 2021
More than 1400 governmental, civil society and indigenous peoples’ organizations gathered at the World Conservation Congress in Marseille to define priorities and guide actions for conservation and sustainable development. On this occasion, the World Water Council was mobilized to offer water an international platform through its booth and various events.
April 2020
The pandemic highlighted the importance of hygiene around the world, playing a central role in the fight against Covid-19. To show solidarity with Senegalese partners and to join global action, the Council donated two batches of soap to the country, the first arriving at the start of the pandemic.
August 2019
In Stockholm, the Council co-organized a seminar on financing, as well as a special event delving into the success factors of blended finance. Young participants led an event calling on fellows to “Join the Youth for the World Water Forum Dakar 2021”.
June 2019
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, received President Fauchon in New York City with the aim of mobilizing UN Agencies to step up to water challenges. Their call was further amplified at a General Assembly Special Session on Water-related disasters.
April 2019
IMF and the World Water Council discussed the needs for intersectoral ways of water financing, good governance, and pricing reform in the water sector.
July 2018
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, was among the SDGs reviewed every three years.
March 2018
The outcomes report of the High-Level Panel on Water, titled Making Every Drop Count, was a clarion call to fast-track action on water. Two years after its release, it was presented at the opening of the 8th World Water Forum.
March 2018
The 8th World Water Forum, hosted by the city of Brasilia from 18-23 March 2018. Under the overarching theme of ‘Sharing Water’, the Forum emphasized the importance of examining all aspects of sustainable water security.
2017
The Roundtable on Financing Water was created as an initiative in partnership with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Government of the Netherlands. Its first meeting in August 2017 marked the beginning of a new effort to facilitate a fresh approach to overcoming the challenges of financing investment in water security and sustainable economic growth.
November 2016
The World Water Council has raised water in the climate agenda and fostered dialogue with the climate community, including strong advocacy at the Conference of the Parties (CoPs).
November 2016
The Council cooperated with the Hungarian Government to organize the Budapest Water Summit in November 2016. Which set out concrete guidelines to ensure the implementation of Agenda 2030.
2016
Celebrating 20 years of achievement. A series of events commemorated the World Water Council’s achievements in putting water at the very heart of global development.
December 2015
Water made its way to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris. Through the #ClimateIsWater initiative, the World Water Council coordinated the actions of the international water community to elevate recognition for water and climate at the political level.
September 2015
United Nations member states adopted the new set of Sustainable Development Goals to tackle poverty, reduce inequalities, and guide development actions in a sustainable way. This 2030 sustainable development agenda includes a goal for water and sanitation (Goal 6).
April 2015
The 7th World Water Forum, held in Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea, was recognized for its significant political participation. It was attended by 10 world leaders, 80 government ministers, and 121 official national government delegations, all fully engaged in water-related issues.
October 2013
The Budapest Water Summit, co-organized by the World Water Council, contributed to the formulation of the water-related Sustainable Development Goals, providing concrete guidance on the most pressing water issues.
June 2012
On the occasion of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, water played a prominent role in the discussions, including during the Heads of State Summit, where the World Water Council spoke as a civil society rapporteur from the Sustainable Development Dialogue on water.
March 2012
The 6th World Water Forum in Marseille. Under the theme “Time for Solutions”, a Village of Solutions showcased concrete actions collected from all around the world.
2010
The UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council recognized the right to access drinking water & sanitation as a human right on the same level as other social rights such as the right to food and the right to health.
March 2009
Over 30000 participants from 182 countries took part in the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, in line with the precept of “Bridging Divides for Water.” This edition saw for the first time a Heads of State meeting followed by a Ministerial Statement and the Istanbul Water Consensus (IWC) was launched.
March 2006
The 4th World Water Forum was held in Mexico City, gathering 20,000 people from throughout the world who participated under the theme “Local actions for a global challenge.”
March 2003
The 3rd World Water Forum took place in Kyoto, Shiga & Osaka, Japan. The World Water Council launched the World Water Actions report.
2000
This year saw the advent of the Millennium Development Goals, with the water and sanitation target housed under Goal 7 on environmental sustainability.
March 2000
The 2nd World Water Forum was successfully held in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Ministerial Conference gathered 120 Ministers and resulted in the Declaration of The Hague on Water Security in the 21st Century.
March 1998
The World Water Council, in cooperation with the Government of France, participated in organizing the International Conference on Water and Sustainable Development in Paris.
September 1997
The first meeting of the General Assembly was held in Montreal, during the Ninth World Water Congress of the IWRA. The Constitution of the World Water Council was approved, and the members of the first Board of Governors were elected.
March 1997
The first 1st World Water Forum was held in Marrakech, Morocco. It firmly established the leadership of the World Water Council in water affairs, which received the mandate to develop the World Water Vision for Life and Environment.
July 1996
The First Interim Board of Governors met in Grenada, Spain.
June 1996
The World Water Council was legally incorporated, and its headquarters established in Marseille, France.
1995
The Founding Committee of the World Water Council was formed and convened its first meeting in Montreal, Canada, in March 1995, and again in Bari, Italy, in September 1995. These two meetings defined the mission and objectives of the World Water Council.
1994
The International Water Resources Association (IWRA) organized a special session in its Eighth World Water Congress held in Cairo in November 1994, which resulted in a resolution to create the World Water Council and a committee to accomplish the preparatory work for this task.
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