In March 2009 the fifth World Water Forum will take place in Istanbul. Over the last 12 years, the World Water Fora have grown to be major events, connecting all stakeholders on water. In 2009, over 20 000 people are expected to attend again, combining politicians, businesses and NGO’s to find solutions to attain sustainable water use under the overarching theme “Bridging divides for Water”. More information is available at the Fifth World Water Forum website. This part of the EWP website is dedicated to the European Regional Process leading up to the Forum in Istanbul.

The programme of the Forum has been divided in six main themes - which are listed in the second announcement – and a political process. The programme is designed to culminate in a clear set of political recommendations and commitments for action.

To prepare for this Forum a thematic as well as a regional process is set up and thematic and regional coordinators have been selected. The thematic coordinators will form consortia to develop their respective theme, topics and sessions. Seeing that issues differ across regions, the regional coordinators will develop these themes in their regional context and provide region-specific input into the Forum.

European Regional Coordination

The European Water Partnership (EWP) has been appointed European Regional Coordinator. This part of the EWP website is dedicated to the European Regional Process, giving you detailed information on our activities, the themes, events and latest news.
For any questions about the European Regional Process or how to get involved, please contact us at :