6th World Water Forum

The 6th World Water Forum is being held March 12 through 17, in Marseille, France, with the participation of more than 180 countries.  A major international event in water science, management and governance, the World Water Fora attract representation across the spectrum for high-level ministerial delegations to groups of citizens and indigenous people. More than 25,000 people are expected.  This year, Sharon Megdal, Director of the Water Resources Research Center was a speaker in two UNESCO-IHE Institute sessions. IHE is the UNESCO institute for water education. On March 14 Dr. Megdal spoke on the subject of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in the context of water security and adaptation. During this session she took part in discussions aimed at developing a set of recommendations on concrete actions to implement good governance practices.  In her second session, Dr. Megdal presented a case study from Arizona-Sonora as a successful example of the sustainable and peaceful management of transboundary aquifers, in a session focused on strengthening international cooperation with respect to groundwater resources.   In addition, Dr. Megdal took part in two major side events. On the topic of groundwater governance she participated in a panel exploring a global framework for national and regional governance of groundwater resources.  On broader issues relating to cooperation and peace through water, she led a roundtable discussion in the session "Why does water law matter to you? Exploring local and global perspectives."