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【JWF News Vol. 166】Call for Host Country and City of the 4th APWS
August 22, 2018
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◇ Contents ◇
・Foreword The Invisible
・Announcement from the Japan Water Forum
– Call for Host Country and City of the 4th APWS
・Report from the Japan Water Forum
– APWF 22nd Governing Council Meeting
– JWF participated in the Dushanbe Conference
– First JWF Communication Lounge in 2018
– Progress on JWF Fund 2018
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・Foreword The Invisible
By Kotaro Takemura, Chair of the Japan Water Forum
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From Structure to Function
More than half a century has passed since I studied civil engineering in university. For the first 25 years after graduating, I strived as a civil engineer to construct three dams that my predecessors had planned. During that period, my days were carefree, without any hesitation or anxiety.
Near the half-way point in my life, I left the dam construction site and was transferred to a position in charge of the Nagaragawa Estuary Barrage project, which had caused controversy and opposition campaigns. My role shifted from building structures to persuading people of the necessity of the project.
In explaining a project, it is necessary to talk about the functions of the infrastructure. It is easier to describe the structure, but difficult to explain its functions. This was the case with the Nagaragawa Estuary Barrage. It had multiple functions, such as flood control, water resource development, and environmental conservation. I had to devise ways of explaining these functions from the perspectives of local topography, weather, economic history and future development in order for people to understand it.
I struggled hard to explain these functions over the years I was involved in the project.
Infrastructure is Substructure
Three years after being involved in the Nagaragawa Estuary Barrage project, I belonged to the Kinki Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Construction. My role was to improve a wide range of infrastructure, including rivers, roads, parks and government buildings. I had many opportunities to make speeches, reiterating the importance of infrastructure.
While making these speeches, I suddenly became curious about the word, “infrastructure”, which I had been using without much thought. I consulted an English-Japanese dictionary and found that the word “infra” meant “sub” or “under”. Therefore, infra-structure was sub-structure. A substructure supporting something above.
Social infrastructure relates to various human activities, such as manufacturing, commerce, finance, law, education, the arts, entertainment, sports, and environmental practices. In other words, it consists of all types of social activity. The substructure supports all these activities.
The Invisible
Investigating further, I looked up a word “infra” in a dictionary. I found the word “infra-red”. Electromagnetic waves longer than those of red light do exist, but cannot be seen by the human eye. Then there was a word “infra-sonic”, which means ultralow frequency sound. This sound also exists, but cannot be heard by the human ear.
I felt that my many years doubt had been swept away. Infra means “invisible” or “inaudible”. Therefore, infrastructure refers to an invisible structure.
People performing on stage, the upper-structure, cannot see the substructure of the stage. It is quite natural that we cannot perceive the invisible infrastructure
What I did not refer to
When I realized this fact, I reflected deeply on my past explanations: I had referred too much to the structure in my explanations of infrastructure. Had I explained that a substructure supported the upper-structure? Or had I said that the infrastructure was closely related to social activities?
People can understand something new only in the place they live and through their experiences in life. Without knowing that their own lives were built on a strong foundation, people do not understand the substructure under their feet.
Therefore, in describing infrastructure, we must carefully explain the invisible foundation. It is a highly intellectual task to describe what we can’t see.
I have devoted my life to the construction and management of infrastructure. When I rounded the last corner of my life, I realized the truth of infrastructure at last.
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・Announcement from the Japan Water Forum
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– Call for Host Country and City of the 4th APWS
The Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) is currently seeking expressions of interest from national and local governments of any country in the Asia and Pacific region that can demonstrate its willingness and capacity to organize the 4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit (APWS) in 2020.
▼Please visit the following website for details▼
https://www.waterforum.jp/all/info/2018/0803/?p=9783tag=en,rep_en
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・Report from the Japan Water Forum
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– APWF 22nd Governing Council Meeting
The APWF 22nd Governing Council Meeting was organized at the Singapore PUB WaterHub on 12 July 2018. The main objective of the Meeting was to discuss and gain consensus about the framework of the APWF next three years’ activities in line with the outcomes of the 3rd Asia-Pacific Water Summit and the Asia-Pacific Regional Process of the 8th World Water Forum.
▼Please visit the following website for details▼
http://apwf.org/apwf-22nd-governing-council-meeting/
(Reported by Yumiko Asayama, Manager)
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– JWF participated in the Dushanbe Conference
Japan Water Forum(JWF), who is Asia-Pacific Water Forum(APWF) secretariat, has participated in the International High-level Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028” (“Dushanbe Conference”) as a series of our policy recommendation activities.
The Dushanbe Conference was held in Dushanbe, a capital of Tajikistan from 20 to 22 June, 2018 co-held by the UN and the Government of Tajikistan.
On the last day, the Dushanbe Conference announced the Final Declaration that addresses “water cycle” and “increase of investment in the water sector” which are also included in the Yangon Declaration adopted by the 3rd Asia-Pacific Water Summit.
▼Please visit the following website for details▼
https://www.waterforum.jp/all/policy_recommendations/apws/2018/0820/?p=9865?tag=en,rep_en
(Reported by Sae Ishihara, Manager)
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– First JWF Communication Lounge in 2018
This year, Japan Water Forum’s Communication Lounge will be held under a broader theme of “Addressing Toward Sustainable Society from the Water Perspective”.
The first JWF Communication Lounge 2018 (“Lounge”) was held on 27 July 2018 jointly-held by the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Japan and Japan Water Forum. This Lounge was titled “Bringing SDGs in Your Business Strategies – International and Japan Trend on Water Issues, UN Water Action Decade and Attainment of SDG-Goal 6”.
▼Please visit the following website for details▼
https://www.waterforum.jp/all/policy_recommendations/apws/2018/0803/?p=9805?tag=en,rep_en
(Reported by Naomi Kato, Assistant Manager)
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– Progress on JWF Fund 2018
The JWF Fund is formed and operated by utilizing membership fees of JWF and donations from JWF’s “Charity for Water”.
During the two-month application period, the JWF received 408 applications from 41 countries, submitted by those involved in activities aiming at solving problems of water supply, sanitation, and water-related disasters.
The JWF is now in the process of examining the applications, and the recipients will be chosen by middle of September.
The results of the selection will be announced to all applicants by e-mail and the selected projects will be posted on the JWF website.
We would like to express our gratitude to our corporate members, individual members and individual donors for your support and cooperation as well as all applicants for the Fund. We hope for your continued interest in our activities.
▼Please visit the following website for details of JWF Fund▼
https://www.waterforum.jp/en/what_we_do/grass_roots_projects/jwf
(Reported by Akie Gunji, Manager)
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JWF News Vol. 166 / August 22 2018
Japan Water Forum
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