Introduction: The Budapest Water Summit 2013 is a policy forum to facilitate consensus building among stakeholders concerning water and sanitation policy goals. The Summit aims to bring together politicians, scientists, and civil society actors to shape the post 2015 international development agenda. There will be 5 thematic plenary sessions arranged around the following themes; striving for universal access to water and sanitation, integrated water resources management for the 21st century, good water governance, investment in and financing of the implementation of water and sanitation. Different invited speakers will introduce each session; 3 from developing countries, 1 from a developed country, and an international NGO. The complete list of invited speakers can be found here. The plenary sessions will be accompanied by parallel sessions. These additional forums will be organised as a science forum, a youth forum, a civil society forum, a business and leaders forum and a philanthropy roundtable.
Objectives: The Budapest Water Summit aims to discuss the role of water and sanitation in the global sustainable development agenda to prepare water-related goals for the post Rio+20 development agenda. The Summit aims to present practical, accessible and affordable solutions to the main challenges of water usage and the administration of water resources. The Summit aims to cover the mentioned issues in a complex interdisciplinary and practical manner. The outcomes of the Summit will be summarized in the Budapest Recommendations on Water and Sanitation.
Venue: Budapest (Hungary)
Dates: 8 to 11 October 2013
Eligibility: All members of civil society active in the field of water and sanitation are eligible. Sponsorships are given to participants in financial need who can make an important and meaningful contribution by attending the conference (to the Forum community or your home community).
Why it is important for NGOs to attend it: Activists and members of the civil society interested in themes related to water and sanitation will be interested to participate in the Civil Society Forum, which will run in parallel to the main plenary session. The aim of this Forum is to gather members of NGOs, human rights pressure groups and non-profit think-tanks whose activities demonstrate a long term commitment to enhance public participation in environmental decision-making activities. You will have the opportunity to discuss your own strategies and goals with international participants and also to work together as a group to contribute to the writing of the Budapest Recommendations on Water and Sanitation.
Fees : There are a limited number of partial sponsorship available to Civil Forum participants. Priority will be given to applicants from least developed countries. The Forum will cover the expenses for a return air-ticket, lodging for 3 days and metro passes for public transportation in Budapest. Meals will not be provided.
Application deadlines: In order to apply for financial aid, candidates are invited to submit a paper of no more than 1000 words. The written contribution should describe a process required to arrive at viable water-related sustainable development goals from 2014 or present a concise outline of water-related sustainable development goals to be implemented from 2014.
How to apply: Application for financial aid (written contribution) must be submitted by 25 July to bwscivilforum@rec.org. If you are not seeking for financial help, you should submit your application via the online system here
Additional information can be found here
