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【JWF News Vol. 207】12 January 2022
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◇ Contents ◇
・Foreword It Is The Youth Who Can Overcome the Pandemic
・Announcement from the Japan Water Forum
- Join us! The 6th JWF Webinar about Sewage and Water Environment Improvement
・Report from the Japan Water Forum
- Kyoto World Water Grand Prize 2022: Winner decided!
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・Foreword It Is The Youth Who Can Overcome the Pandemic
By Dr. Kotaro Takemura, Secretary General of the Japan Water Forum
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At the dawn of the New Year
2022 has arrived. We hope that the New Year finds you in good health.
I’m not in the mood to celebrate the New Year, just as I was not last year. Many people around the world have been suffering because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the virus constantly shows signs of mutating and continues to threaten humanity.
We must overcome this pandemic. The key to victory is water. “Handwashing” has become a universal expression throughout the world.
What we learnt from grass-roots activities on water and sanitation
The JWF has been promoting grass-roots activities on water and sanitation in a variety of countries. We have been involved in installing wells, rainwater tanks and toilets, etc. in remote villages which were receiving little support from international ODAs or central governments. Over the past 16 years, we have given assistance to water and sanitation projects in 36 countries, with the number of beneficiaries reaching 275,300. Through these efforts, we’ve learnt about something important: an education about water.
A survey conducted when the JWF invited grass-roots groups to offer proposals of their activities demonstrated the importance of an education about water. The reason that people in Asia and Africa didn’t wash their hands was that they had never been taught about handwashing. Though we were aware of the importance of information and education, we had never thought that it was such a key issue. This new awareness inspired us to undertake a new initiative: the Youth Water Forum.
Launch of Youth Water Forum
The crises we face in the next two or three decades will be global in scale: shortages of resources, degradation of the environment and extreme weather events. The leaders charged with facing these challenges will be in their forties and fifties. People of that generation are now fifteen to twenty-five years old.
Young people who may still seem unreliable will be leading players in the tough times ahead. Therefore, it is our responsibility to make the importance of water known to the youth by strengthening our solidarity with them.
When we view the current high school curriculum, we can see that the concept of a “sustainable society” is at the forefront. A sustainable society is one where not only of the current generation, but also successive ones, can enjoy a safe and beneficial social environment. The young people of today are developing deep insight into this future society. The Youth Water Forum was launched with the hope that young people will become involved in water and join our group at the 4th APWS in Kumamoto this April.
Interesting Video Clips
Professor Tsugihiro Watanabe and Associate Professor Naoto Tanaka of Kumamoto University, and Associate Professor Satoquo Seino of Kyushu University, who are involved in a variety of civic initiatives, have endorsed the new Youth Water Forum. The JWF has assumed the role of secretariat. In a very short period of time, high-school students in Japan’s Kyushu region have produced and submitted a number of three-minute video clips. These videos were posted on the Youth Water Forum website on 15 December 2021.
A video library has been established, covering a broad range of topics, including rivers, coastal safety, the environment, ecology and local cultures. The videos are, bold, energetic, and free in style. We are planning to expand the video library across Japan. We intend to invite youths not only from Japan but also from across the Asia-Pacific region. We hope that, through these videos, young people will promote international exchanges.
The fight against COVID-19 pandemic is a tough challenge for humanity. In the midst of this battle, the JWF has set up a partnership with young people who will break new ground in the future. The role of the JWF has been diversifying. All of us at the JWF are determined to work together and face the various challenges confronting us.
We appreciate your continued support and cooperation.
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・Announcement from the Japan Water Forum
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– Join us! The 6th JWF Webinar about Sewage and Water Environment Improvement
The Sixth JWF Webinar will share the knowledge and experiences accumulated through the history of fighting over water pollution due to the economic growth in Japan. To improve the water environment, it may not be necessary to use the same framework as in Japan. However, since we face the same challenges, Japan’s framework would be a useful reference for any country suffering from water pollution.
Date and Time: 19th January 2022/ 4:00～5:00PM(JST)
Speaker: Mr. OHKAMI Yohei
Director for Overseas Projects of Sewerage, Sewerage International Affairs and Engineering Office, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism(MLIT)
Topics: Sewerage and Water Environment Improvement
▼Please visit the following website for details▼
https://www.waterforum.jp/en/news/18984/
(Reported by Reiko Yoshii, Manager）
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・Report from the Japan Water Forum
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– Kyoto World Water Grand Prize 2022: Winner decided!
The Kyoto World Water Grand Prize (“the Grand Prize”) is the prestige international award that recognizes grass-roots organizations of developing countries for their outstanding accomplishment in solving water issues to encourage the development of grass-roots activities. The Grand Prize was established in 2003 by the City of Kyoto and the World Water Council in commemoration of the 3rd World Water Forum held in the Lake Biwa and Yodo River Basin including Kyoto, Japan. Since then, the Grand Prize has been awarded at the time of the World Water Forum that is convened every three years. Since 2015, the Japan Water Forum has joined the organizers of the Grand Prize.
In line with Kyoto’s tradition of “harmony between tradition and innovation,” the screening process this time was based on whether the activities are sustainable and contribute to “culture” and “community. After careful screening of the applications by the prize committee, Pragati is selected as the winner of the Grand Prize 2022 in recognition of its efforts to use natural energy to not only solve water problems but also reduce environmental impact. Pragati will receive the prize money of JPY2,000,000 at the closing ceremony of the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal.
▼Please visit the following website for details▼
https://www.waterforum.jp/en/news/18870/
(Reported by Reiko Yoshii, Manager)
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・Information about the 4th APWS
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“4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit (APWS)”
Date: 23-24 April, 2022
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・Bulletin Board
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【Call for Abstract: ICFM9, February 18-22, 2023】
URL: https://www.icfm9.jp/
Disclaimer: The Japan Water Forum is not liable for the information of Bulletin Board. Please contact each individual organizer for any inquiries.
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JWF News Vol. 207 / 12 January 2022
Japan Water Forum
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