Speaker/Press Conference Advisory: Swedish and South African Ministers to Open 2005 World Water Week

The 2005 World Water Week in Stockholm gets underway in earnest on Monday, August 22, with Opening General Session speeches by ministers from South Africa and Sweden, and from the 2005 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate, Sunita Narain, which will elucidate how problems of poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and gender inequality can in large measure be solved with water and sanitation as the key entry points.

In addition, a press briefing and panel debate will look at alternative future approaches to achieve global water and sanitation coverage. Currently, more than 2.6 billion people - over 40 per cent of the world's population - do not have access to basic sanitation, and more than one billion people still use unsafe sources of drinking water. Events listed below take place at the Stockholm City Conference Centre/Folkets Hus. Agenda, Monday, August 22 10:15 Welcome Speech by Mr. Anders Berntell, Executive Director, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Sweden 10:25 Official Opening Address of the 15th Stockholm Water Symposium by Prof. Lena Sommestad*, Minister of the Environment, Swedish Ministry for Sustainable Development, Sweden 10:40 Keynote Speaker on ”Water Security in Developing Countries – A People Centered Approach” by H.E. Buyelwa Patience Sonjica*, Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa 11:05 Keynote Speaker on ”Working Partnerships and Combined Approaches for Improved Water and Sanitation Services for the Poor: Empowering Experiences in Cali, Columbia” by Ms. Mariela Garcia Vargas, CINARA, Universidad del Valle, Colombia 11:30 2005 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate Lecture on ”The Want and Waste of Water: The Paradigm Shift for Water Management in the South” by Ms. Sunita Narain*, Director, Centre for Science and Environment, India 12:10 Press Briefing: “Bricks, Mortar and the Human Touch: Alternative Development Scenarios to Achieve Global Water and Sanitation Coverage” Room 206 at the Stockholm City Conference Centre/Folkets Hus, Barnhusgatan, 12-14. Press conference participants are marked with an asterisk (”*”). 13:30 “15-Year Message of the Stockholm Water Symposia: Hydrosolidarity – Ample Opportunities for Human Ingenuity” by Prof. Malin Falkenmark, SIWI, Sweden 15:30 High Level Discussion: “Large-Scale Water Infrastructure”, moderated by Mr. Nik Gowing, BBC World Mr. Mike Anane, League of Environmental Journalists, Ghana H.E. Martha Karua, Minister of Water Resources Management and Development, Kenya Mr. Steven R. Loranger, President and CEO, ITT Industries, USA Ms. Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science and Environment, India H.E. Buyelwa Patience Sonjica, Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa Mr. Jamal Saghir*, Director, Energy and Water, World Bank Ms. Victoria Tauli Corpuz, Executive Director, Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education), The Philippines Dr. Richard Taylor, Executive Director, International Hydropower Association, United Kingdom Timed just weeks in advance of the United Nations’ five-year review of progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the annual World Water Week in Stockholm, held from 21-27 August, will examine the two primary ways of meeting future water and sanitation related development needs – the “soft” path and the “hard” path – by taking into consideration that development has occurred differently throughout the world, and regional climates and conditions vary greatly. More than 1300 experts from 100 countries are participating. For interview opportunities, contact the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) Press Room at +46 (0)8-506 16 812. For more about the World Water Week, visit www.worldwaterweek.org.