1. Summary of UN Water: High-Level International Conference on the
Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the International
Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015
June 8-10, 2010 – Jay Colingham
The opening session and plenary session were marked by appearances from most major
countries involved in relief and development funding and many countries acting as the
major recipient of money. The speeches from India, Nigeria, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
were not typical. India spoke about where they were decades ago and where they are
now. The transgression is taking place and is working well where it can and is steadily
occurring in the harder to reach areas. Less boastful than hopeful, India provided the
listeners with solutions and an invitation to seek suggestions. Nigeria iterated a haunting
message of failure and marked the National Department of Statistics as a source for
misled beliefs of steady growth. In the first Session, this was reported again. Tajikistan
talked about the power of controlling water and it’s importance to their community. Less
factual and more theoretical, the message described how mastering water makes your
people happier. As listed in the press, the tone was that providing water universally and
giving everyone access is very important. We must be good Sheppard of our resources
and not act with impunity towards our neighbors. Uzbekistan countered this with a
message that water is a universal resource and should not be owned but instead used with
responsibility. This message set the tone for the conference and became the resounding
question of whether international law protects headwaters or all who have access to a
waterway in preserving the resource. The rest of the speakers mostly talked about how
water is important to everyone in the world, their country, and might list one project they
do in their own country.
Round Tables began in the afternoon of June 8th. The first set included Accelerating
Progress towards water-related IADG, including MDGs, and ensuring women
empowerment, Transboundary Water Cooperation, Water Quality, and two side events
Use of Tajikistan’s hydropower potential and its Importance for resolving the Water-
Energy Issue in Central and South Asia, and Progressing on IWRM, Sanitation & Health
– Promoting National target-setting.
In Water Quality, the discussion centered around how to get quality water to citizens and
what the problem with bad water is. The statement that, “bad water is the same as no
water” resounded throughout the 6th session as well. General statements by India and
China could be simplified to the notion that safe drinking water is the responsibility of
the national government and effective plans to make it available to all is needed in the
political will of the representatives and those charged with the duty of governing others.
The representative from Nigeria also spoke (he is the Minister of Water and Sanitation
and was on the MDG target committee for Nigeria). His message could be summarized
by stating that while Nigeria is supposedly improving statistically, the numbers are
certainly wrong and most likely due to sampling errors from the Department of Statistics.
He believes that the deterioration of current systems and lack of maintenance has driven
the actual numbers down but are artificially high from bad statistics. He gave plenty of

2. examples as to why this is and made a point for the discussion to recommend
identification that developing countries cannot truly identify the quality of water and
sanitation for all. Tajikistan’s many attendees concurred with this statement. Christian
Zurbrügg of eawag gave some methods for educating people on the needs of sanitation.
One such example was the feces dissolved in a bucket method that shows how you can
contaminate your water but cannot see it is dirty. The villagers disposition to avoid
drinking this water should provide proof that it is not clean and they should act.
The morning Round Tables included Water resources and adaptation to climate, change
and disaster risk reduction, Sustainable financing, and Integrated water resource
management, energy, agriculture, and food security. The side-event sessions included a
Seminar on waste-water Revolution and Program of Actions for Rendering.
At the integrated water resource management, energy, agriculture, and food security
round table, the demonstrations started with systems of monitoring water with
technology. Using foliage coverage, water run-off, and radar methods to determine
waterways under ground for up to one kilometer deep were the main points for seeing
where water is. The other presenters spoke of Integrated Water Management. The
importance of incorporating agriculture, irrigation, water source, distribution to industrial
and domestic users, and the treatment of wastewater were all emphasized. Some
corrected the presenters and made note that high-tech wastewater treatment was often
counter productive in developing countries due to high-energy use and cost. Many
simpler methods can be used that serve an equally functional purpose. While technology
is important and can be helpful, it is best to look at the whole system before you choose
your methods. Some high tech means of securing water may not be the best and often
creates problems for other dependent systems like irrigation and industrial use.
The Plenary Session before lunch included opening statements from the President of
Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon and the President of the Islamic republic of Iran, Dr.
Ahmadinejad. President Rahmon spoke about the importance of water and the need of
clean water in Central Asia. He promised to provide water and electricity to all of
Central Asia and says that there is more than enough in Tajikistan for everyone. His
proposal of a meeting of leaders from the five countries in the region to discuss the
methods of distribution was inspiring and left many interested to see how discussions
would commence.
President Ahmadinejad spoke afterwards about the impact of poor religious practices
playing the major role in the lack of sanitation and deaths of people. He suggested that
new technology like solar, wind, and hydroelectric solutions are in the right direction but
that nuclear is the real option for sustained power. Ahmadinejad mentions the need to
provide smaller, under developed nations with nuclear power so that they can provide for
their people, have industry, and produce exports for others. His other statements were in
support of Tajikistan and policy of headwaters being the point of control and ownership
for water. His only other major statement was in support of his countries cheap, UN
backed nano technology that is used to filter water at less cost and with less chemicals.
Iran had a booth at the exposition with one apparatus set up to view. It is supposedly a

3. very functional system for making potable water. After the speech, both presidents left
quickly and the representatives from other countries spoke.
The afternoon entailed the wrap-up sessions for both I, II, III, and IV, V, VI. The Wrap-
up provided the UN a suggestion that technology be supported by the UN and used
wherever possible, that clarification on the priority of water rights to governing bodies
takes place, and that new discussions on the monitoring of water quality and availability
are made available to developing countries while models for government distributed
water be pursued in others.