This week, the IAEA is participating in the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, one of the largest international events in the field of water, highlighting its leading role in the use of isotope and nuclear techniques for water research and management.
The IAEA is involved in field and research projects to assess and manage groundwater resources, to cut water losses in reservoirs, and support work to clean up polluted rivers and lakes. Such work has led to new insights about how water resources are formed, used, and managed - often providing missing data to improve understanding of earth's water lifelines.
The World Water Forum (WWF), organised every 3 years by the World Water Council, is a global event aiming to cover the causes and impacts of the most critical water issues, such as climate change and its consequence on migration.
Bringing together Heads of State, non-governmental organisations, corporations and grassroots activists, the event´s organisers say the Forum is aimed at putting water firmly on the international agenda. Participants in the week-long meeting as well as the preceding preparatory sessions use the event to push for strong political commitment to water management strategies.
Under the theme Bridging Divides for Water, the WWF aims to bring people together from different perspectives to find common solutions to improve access to water and sanitation around the globe.
The IAEA is contributing to a session on data requirements for water resource management, which is one of 115 sessions covering 23 specific issues at the 16 - 20 March 2009 event.
As a member of UN Water, the IAEA is also mounting a display during the Forum´s World Water Expo, highlighting the Agency´s pivotal work related to water resources assessment and management.