MARSEILLE, March 12, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- A Tajik delegation, led by Minister of Land Reclamation and Water Resources, Rahmat Bobokalonov, is attending the Sixth Water Forum that has opened in Marseille, France today.  The main theme of this forum is “Solutions for Water.”

Delegations from 140 countries, totaling more than 25,000 participants, are attending the Sixth World Water Forum that will last until March 17.

The goal of the 6th World Water Forum is to tackle the challenges the world is facing and to bring water high on all political agendas.  There will be no sustainable development while the water issues remain unsolved.  Everywhere on the planet, for all and everyone, the Right to Water (recognized by 189 states at the UN one year ago) must be guaranteed and implemented.

Every three years the World Water Council organizes a World Water Forum in close collaboration with the authorities of the host country.

The World Water Forum is the largest international event in the field of water—over 30,000 participants from more than 190 countries attended the last edition that took place in Istanbul, Turkey in 2009.  The main theme of the Istanbul World Water Forum was “Bridging Divides for Water.”

World Water Forum aims to: raise awareness with decision makers and the public at large on water issues and, subsequently, to generate action; contribute to improving access to water supply and sanitation and report on progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); provide opportunities to progressively develop shared visions on challenging water issues, to develop new partnerships and to pave the way for cooperation and action among a wide diversity of organisations and individuals; and encourage greater media attention for water issues and solutions

Two water-related Prizes have been awarded during successive World Water Forums: The King Hassan II Great World Water Prize and the Kyoto World Water Grand Prize.

King Hassan II Great World Water Prize: With the main theme of "Cooperation and Solidarity in the Fields of Management and Development in Water Resources", this prize (US$ 100,000) is awarded to an institution, organization, individual or group of individuals in honor of their outstanding lifetime achievements in any aspects of water resources.

Kyoto World Water Grand Prize: Subtitled “Contributing to the Millennium Development Goals through Grassroots Initiatives,” this prize showcases grassroots initiatives that aim to improve the water-related situation of local communities around the world. Thirty selected candidates were invited to the 5th World Water Forum to present their activities and compete for the Prize money of 3 million JPY (around 28,000 USD), to be used to fund the continuation of their activities.