Professor Tommy Koh's Summary Statement at the Closing of the Water Leaders Summit, Singapore International Water WeekFriday June 27 10:38 PMSingapore, June 27, 2008 - (ACN Newswire) - Ministers, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen: I have been asked to attempt to synthesize the rich discourse we have had for the last 2 days and to summarise the highlights or learning points. My list is highly selective and I apologise in advance to you for leaving out important points which you have made in our discussions. The following is my list of my most important learning points. First, I take to heart the Prime Minister's point that the sustainable development of cities will be one of the key challenges of our time. Second, we share a common vision to make our cities sustainable, vibrant and liveable. Our cities should strive to achieve a certain number of common goals: safe drinking water, sustainable sanitation, clean air, good living environment, the efficient use of natural resources, including water and energy, the protection and conservation of biodiversity, good jobs, safety, efficient transportation, affordable housing, a balance between our built environment and greenery, a balance between retaining a city's history and heritage and modernity, a culture of tolerance and diversity, centres of learning, good food, vibrant culture and low or zero corruption. Third, good governance, meaning governance based upon merit, competence, integrity, transparency, accountability and equity, is vital to tackling all our challenges. I welcome the World Bank's annual Worldwide Governance Indicators Survey. The Bank has found from its survey that better governance helps to fight poverty and improves living standard. Fourth, water is essential for life. There are over 1 billion people in the world, 700 million in Asia alone, who do not have access to safe drinking water. The time has come for us to recognize the people's access to safe drinking water and to sustainable sanitation as a human right. The governments of developing countries should stop using their under-development as an excuse for not fulfilling their responsibility to their people. The problem is not primarily due to inadequate financial resources. We have many success stories on water from such developing countries as Cambodia, Bangladesh, Philippines, Fiji, etc. What then is the real problem? The problem is due to the absence of political will, mismanagement, the lack of coordination, the marginalisation of the poor and the lack of a coherent water strategy. Fifth, recent progress in water technology, such as desalination, reverse osmosis, membrane technology and their declining costs have enabled cities, regions and countries, such as, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, Bahrain, the Orange County in California, Singapore, to solve their water problems. Membrane technology for filtering water can also be used at the local level and at affordable costs. Following the Tsunami in 2004, a young Singaporean, Dr. Adrian Yeo, developed a portable filtration unit at a cost of US $1,500. With financial support from the Singapore Red Cross, Dr. Yeo and his NGO, WISH, was able to make safe drinking water available to 100,000 people in Aceh. Sixth, from Roundtable 1, I learned that it is important to educate our people about the value of water and the need to conserve and not waste water. Water should be sold at a price which reflects the real cost of water. The Roundtable acknowledges that we live in a diverse world and different countries need different levels of water technology. We need to encourage more investment in R & D in water and the environment. We should also redouble our efforts to foster public-private partnership in solving our water problems. Seventh, what did I learn from Roundtable 2? I learned that water is a viable business. In cases where, for various reasons, the public sector is unable to deliver safe drinking water to its consumers, it is economically feasible for the public sector to either outsource the water business to the private sector or to enter into a Public-Private Partnership (or P-P-P). This is however politically not feasible where water is treated as a public good. I have also learned that in order for P-P-P to succeed, several conditions must be present: transparency, fair competition, reasonable profit for the investor, dependable regulatory environment and strong political support for the process. After an extensive review, the World Bank has concluded that the P-P-P is a viable option and that it has worked well in most cases. However, we should acknowledge that some of the best water agencies, such as the PUB, are in the public sector. Also, the percentage of the urban population serviced by private water operators is only 4 percent. Eighth, the third roundtable is on cities of the future. I think the wisdom I have learnt from the roundtable is that the solution does not lie in the building of new ECO cities. We have to start with the existing reality. Asit Biswas has reminded us that we should not focus exclusively on the big cities and the mega cities. We should also focus on the small and medium cities as well as on the parallel process of ruralization. John Kolbeke has given us an excellent overview of what Western Australia is doing to respond to drought by achieving water security thru diversity. The cities of the future will therefore consist mainly of existing cities which should re-invent themselves by embracing best practices and sustainability. Finally, it is not enough to change the infrastructure. It is equally important to change the mindset and behaviors of the people. About: Singapore International Water Week The Singapore International Water Week is the global platform for water solutions. It will bring policymakers, industry leaders, experts and practitioners together to address challenges, showcase technologies, discover opportunities and celebrate achievements in the water world. Comprising the Water Leaders Summit, Water Convention, Water Expo and Water Festival, it culminates in the presentation of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, a prestigious international award to recognise outstanding contributions in solving global water issues. The inaugural Singapore International Water Week will be held from 23 to 27 June 2008. The theme is Sustainable Water Solutions for Cities. For more information, please visit www.siww.com.sg .
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