Leading figures in the international community and Heads of State from across the world met with one another at the Budapest Water Summit on 8-11 October 2013, in Hungary, Budapest. The Summit brought together participants representing governments, international organisations, civil society, academia and the private sector. The high-level Summit took place in parallel with different fora including a Civil Society Forum.
The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) through its Asia-Europe Environment Forum (ENVforum) was one of the co-organisers of the Civil Society Forum. ASEF representatives were involved in chairing a session dedicated to the rights to water and sanitation. The plenary session featured the latest results from the ENVforum’s research project, ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Indicators for a Small Planet’. A separate side event, ‘A Quest for Sustainable Development: Aspirations Versus Reality-Check for Water Governance’, showcased the recommendations from ENVforum’s research outlining the rights to water as a potential sustainable development goal.
The valuable contributions from the Civil Society Forum discussions were forwarded to the final declaration of the Summit. The declaration will influence future discussions on SDGs in the lead up to 2015 and will ensure that water remains as important to policy-making as it is in our daily lives.