Regional Focus Meetings 

 

The regional contributions to the 2nd Istanbul International Water Forum were implemented through a series of Regional Focus Meetings (RFMs) held by the Forum Secretariat on four regions namely the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Turkey. These focal regions were selected in accordance with the framework of the 5th World Water Forum’s In and Around Turkey sub-region.

 

The first series of RFMs were held prior to the Forum for each of the Forum’s focal region in order to address water challenges and solutions particular to them and receive the recommendations of regional stakeholders in the process of shaping the Forum’s thematic content. Central Asia RFM particularly addressed the challenges of agricultural water use and lack of infrastructure, technical know-how and education, whereas Eastern Europe RFM discussed the deficiency of the water network infrastructure and mismanagement of wastewater and the Middle East RFM put strong emphasis on the need for regional transboundary cooperation, the necessity for technical cooperation on capacity building and rationalization of national water strategies. Turkey Focus Meeting centred on agricultural water management and food safety and security.

 

These fruitful meetings were followed by a second round that was held during the Forum to focus on the issues that were most highlighted in the first series of meetings. The RFMs held during the Forum gathered international and regional water experts in closed roundtable meetings and provided a platform to address region-specific water challenges and solutions, with an aim to deliver them to the 6th World Water Forum in Marseilles in 2012.

 

Middle East Regional Focus Meeting

 

Chair: İlter TURAN, Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey

Panellists: Imane ABDEL AL, World Water Council; Association of the Friends of Ibrahim Abd El Al

                     (AFIAL), Lebanon

                     Emad ADLY, Arab Network for the Environment and Development (RAED), Egypt 

                     Murad J. BINO, Inter-Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and

                     Management (INWRDAM), Jordan

                     Jauad EL KHARRAZ, Euro-Mediterranean Information System on Know-How in the

                     Water Sector (EMWIS)

                     Ahmed FARAHAT, National Planning Institute of Egypt, Egypt

                     Waleed Ahmad SUKKAR, Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Jordan

 

Central Asia Regional Focus Meeting

 

Chair: İlter TURAN, Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey

Keynote Speaker: Bart SCHULTZ, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education

Panellists: 

                     Azerbaijan

                     Mammad ASADOV, Azerbaijan Irrigation and Water

                     Azhdar JAVADOV, Azerbaijan Irrigation and Water 

 

                     Georgia

                     Tamar KHMALADZE, Georgia Ministry of Agriculture and Amelioration Directorate 

                     Alexander MINDORASHVILI, Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection

 

                     Kazakhstan

                     Serik KUMASHEV, Kazakhstan Sanitary Epidemiology Center of Radiology Expertise

                     Nurzhamal SARSENOVA, Kazakhstan Sanitary Epidemiology Center of Radiology            

                     Expertise

                     Mukhtar ZHAKENOV, Kazakhstan Ministry of Agriculture

 

                     Kyrgyzstan

                     Ilia DOMASHOV, Kyrgyzstan NGO Ecological Movement BIOM

                     Ekaterina PAVLOVNA SAHVAEVA, Kyrgyzstan State Committee of Water Economy and

                     Melioration

 

                     Tajikistan

                     Ali KARAEV, Tajikistan NGO “Water Consult”

                     Yarash E. PULATOV, Tajikistan Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation Institute

 

                     Turkmenistan

                     Oleg GUCHGELDIYEV, Environmental and Agricultural Expert for UNEP, EU, World Bank,

                     GEF, UNDP 

 

                     Ukraine

                     Ganna GRYNKO, Ukraine Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources

                     Liudmyla KALITKA, Ukraine Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources

 

                     International Organizations

                     Giovanni MUNOZ, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

                     Subregional Office for Central Asia

                     Vadim SOKOLOV, Global Water Partnership (GWP) Central Asia and Caucasus;                

                     Interstate Commission for Water Coordination - Scientific Information Centre (ICWC-

                     SIC)

 

Eastern Europe Regional Focus Meeting

 

Chair: Sumru NOYAN, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)

Panellists: 

                     Albania

                     Arben MUKAJ, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection

                     Alfred OMURI, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection 

 

                     Bosnia and Herzegovina

                     Aziz COMOR, Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry

                     Alma IMAMOVIC, Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry

 

                     FYR of Macedonia

                     Bojan DURNEV, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Economy

                     Aleksandar SAPUNDJIOVSKI, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Economy 

 

                     Kosovo

                     Naser BAJRAKTARI, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning

                     Merita MEHMETI, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning

 

                     Moldova

                     Elena BREAHNA, Ministry of Environment

                     Dimutri PROCA, Ministry of Environment

 

                     Montenegro

                     Zorica DJURANOVIC, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

                     Aleksandar RADUNOVIC, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 

 

                     Serbia

                     Bosko GAJIC, Belgrade University

                     Jordan MILIVOYEVIC, Water Users Association in Irrigation

 

                     International Organizations

                     Janos FEHER, Global Water Partnership Central and Eastern Europe (GWP CEE)

                     Mykola MELENEVSKYI, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube

                     River (ICPDR) 

                     Volodymyr MYROSHNYCHENKO, Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea

                     Against Pollution 

                     Yordan UZUNOV, UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation

                     (UNSGAB)

 

Turkey Focus Meeting

 

Chair: Ali Ünal ŞORMAN, Middle East Technical University (METU), Turkey

            Ayşegül TANIK, Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Turkey

Panellists:

                     Sedef AKGÜNGÖR, Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey 

                     Turhan AKÜZÜM, Ankara University, Turkey 

                     Mahmut ÇETİN, Çukurova University, Turkey

                     Yaşar DASTAN, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

                     Buket Bahar DIVRAK, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 

                     Hakan GÜNLÜ, State Planning Organization of Turkey

                     Ahmet KASALAK, General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) 

                     Süleyman KODAL, Ankara University, Turkey 

                     Nüvit SOYLU, Union of Irrigation Cooperatives of Turkey

                     Bülent SÖNMEZ, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Turkey 

                     Ahmet ŞAHİNÖZ, Hacettepe University, Turkey

                     Halis UYSAL, Union of Irrigation Cooperatives of Turkey

 

 

Please find detailed information in the 2nd IIWF Final Report.