The 9th meeting of the World Water Forum, of which the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT) is a member, convened in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, on 21-25 March 2022, under the theme of "Water Security for Peace and Development".
The Forum was hosted by the President of Senegal Macy Sall and started with the opening speeches. Also in the Forum, delegations consisting of representatives, guests and researchers from many countries took part. In his opening speeches, Sall said that more than 2 billion people in the world do not have access to clean water and therefore consume polluted water, and that this situation will worsen if no action is taken.
In addition to President Sall, World Water Council President Loic Fauchon, World Bank President David Malpass and leaders of neighboring countries of the African continent made speeches at the forum. African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina, EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and Emperor of Japan Naruhito also sent video messages and the opening program continued with water-themed dance performances and poetry recitals.
Representing Türkiye and the UMT, the director generals of water and sewerage administrations of metropolitan municipalities participated in the Forum. During the Forum, more than 800 simultaneous sessions were held on issues such as water security, governance, climate change, access to clean water, shared water, and access to water as a human right.
At the fair held during the forum, good practice examples of countries were examined.