The main objective of the Coordination Action ASEMWaterNet is to contribute to the commitments of the EU Water Initiative and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), mainly concerning the sustainable access to safe drinking water, global partnerships and development, environmental sustainability, by building and promoting a multi-stakeholder platform on increasing the contributions of scientific study and knowledge to integrated water resources management.
The platform will mobilise the individual strengths and expertise of organisations and institutions from 18 ASEM (Asia-Europe Meetings) partner countries for greater effectiveness in cooperation. It will do this by interacting with existing networks and promoting interdisciplinary knowledge-intensive activities between public authorities, scientific community, private sector and civil society. ?
Through several types of coordinating activities, the 53 participating organisations will gather and organise their experiences on five priority areas, defined during a first workshop in 2002, namely:
1) River basin approach,
2) Water use efficiency in agriculture:
3) Erosion, flash floods and floods;
4) Pollution and water quality;
5) Water governance as a cross-cutting issue.
These joint activities will lead to identify approaches and new solutions for improved water resources use, protection and reduction of risks (pollution, depletion, erosion, flood¡­). Through the organisation of workshops and a conference, they will furthermore boost and promote exchange and concerted action between the scientific community, the industrial, political and civil society representatives.
The spirit of the ASEM process, built on a framework of respectful and open cooperation between equal partners, will therefore be promoted on water management issues with a view to enable increased joint activities.