Persident of Turkish Water Institute
Dear water friends,
After the great success of the 5th World Water Forum 2009, we are preparing to welcome the international water community once again at the 2nd Istanbul International Water Forum (2nd IIWF), which will be held on May 3-5, 2011 in Istanbul.
The 2nd IIWF will primarily focus on the water-related issues of Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Turkey. These focal regions of the 2nd IIWF were selected in accordance with the framework of the 5th World Water Forum's "In and Around Turkey" sub-region. Through a number of preparatory meetings held in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, the Mediterranean and Turkey, the "In and Around Turkey" sub-region provided a platform for the regional stakeholders to address region-specific water challenges and enhanced the collaboration among the region to maximize the regional contribution to the 5th World Water Forum. The 2nd IIWF aims to continue this momentum, widen the scope of the "In and Around Turkey" sub-region and ensure that the water-related challenges of the region are thoroughly represented during the 6th World Water Forum in March 2012.
In the longer term, we aspire to institutionalize the Istanbul International Water Forum as a high-profile periodic international water event just like Stockholm and Singapore International Water Weeks, which will provide valuable technical and intellectual input to the following World Water Fora.
The motto of the 2nd IIWF is "An Istanbul Perspective on Regional Water Challenges and Solutions", which means that the Forum will not only discuss the existing water-related problems, but will also seek for solutions to these problems. Thereby, the outcomes of the Forum will directly feed into the 6th World Water Forum, which primarily aims to define the "solutions".
The 2nd Istanbul International Water Forum will be an excellent platform to meet and exchange information with international and local actors in the Region.
Come and join us in Istanbul!
Prof. Ahmet Mete Saatçi
Steering Committee Co-Chair