1. That the Earth’s water and ecosystems must be preserved and protected.
2. That access to drinking water and sanitation is a human right that must be guaranteed by all public authorities.
3. That by accepting Millennium Development Goals, the Earth’s nations have pledged a serious commitment to water-related issues.
4. That access to water has an enormous influence on development.
5. That water plays a fundamental role in the production and transfer of energy.
6. That there will be an ever-increasing demand for water, mainly due to the growth of the population and the economy, all of which may result in a bigger “water footprint”.
7. That forecasts show that climate change is capable of modifying the availability and demand for water all over the planet.
8. That current technologies make it possible to produce fresh water from sea water and fog, as well as to regenerate and reuse it, at reasonable prices and with less environmental impact.
9. That the durability and transformation of rural areas are directly linked to the availability and sustainable use made of water.
10. That the sustainable production of food is directly linked to the efficient use of water.
11. That education, culture, communications and participation must form the basis of the transformation in the management of the world’s water resources.
12. That it is essential to strengthen all levels of governance in order to bring about integrated water management and sustainability, which implies the greater participation and sharing of responsibilities by society.
13. That river basins are the best suited environments for harnessing water and their good management makes it possible to resolve conflicts between countries, regions and users.
14. That ensuring channels of financing and ways of sharing financial risks, using criteria of sustainability, is essential to the success of initiatives and actions in the water sector.
15. That the investment in water infrastructures in developing countries is essential in order to reduce poverty and to bring about economic growth and that current levels of investment fall short of those set by the Millennium Development Goals.
16. That the public authorities must take the initiative in promoting the legislation and arrangements required to ensure access to water by all.
17. That research, development and innovation are the cornerstones that underpin our knowledge, solutions, well-being and sustainability in water-related issues.
The Water Tribune RECOMMENDS:
A. AS GENERAL PRINCIPLES
A1. That the development of societies should be based on sustainable and environmentally friendly criteria.
A2. That priorities must be set and commitments made with regard to water that are in the general interests of humanity, and that are founded on ethical sustainability principles, transparency, and intra- and inter-generational equality.
A3. That water management schemes should promote community participation, efficiency and solidarity through shared knowledge and experiences, whose end purpose is to being about individual and collective awareness.
A4. That commitments and regulations should be established to mitigate the negative effects of climate change and extreme weather events, and to adapt to such circumstances.
A5. That solutions and water management schemes must adapt to the rate of development, the culture, the social environment and economic climate of each region and society.
A6. That the basic management units of water resources should be river basins and aquifers, even in cases in which they are of a supranational nature.
A7. That every individual must have access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation, both in rural and urban areas, through the acceptance of global commitments, the setting of realistic targets and the adoption of specific solutions.
A8. That the supply of drinking water and the collection and treatment of wastewater are priority issues. Public administrations must provide these services at a fair price and also be in a position to cover their costs.
A9. That the management of demand must be at least as important and the management of offer in decisions on policies, strategies, plans, programmes and budgets.
A10. That the research, development and innovation in water-related technologies must be encouraged, and that the transfer of results and benefits to society must be speeded up.
A11. That a World Water Agency must be set up whose main missions would be:
a) To draw up and present the Charter of the Rights and Responsibilities of Human Beings with Water to the United Nations.
b) To devise a universal framework of standards on water within the context of sustainable development that is recognised by all countries.
c) To prepare and promote the development of the International Convention on Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events and Risk Management for dealing with water resources.
d) To encourage the approval of the International Protocol for the Pacific and Productive Management of Cross-border River Basins in the world.
e) To help countries that ask for support in the integrated management of water.
f) To foster the knowledge, principles and values, in coherence with the above, that will lead to acceptable ethics of water.
g) To promote the efficient and global dissemination and exchange of good practices, lessons learnt, models, reproducible processes and experiences that have been successful, and to issue recommendations though an information and knowledge transfer centre about water and sustainable development.
h) To encourage alliances between the public and private sectors that make it possible to join forces so that universal water supplies and sanitation become a reality.
B. TO THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES, USERS OF WATER AND CITIZENS
B1. That ecosystems be effectively protected for their intrinsic values and to guarantee the durability of sources of water.
B2. That basic sanitation and wastewater treatment services be provided to match local realities, which attain world standards of sanitation that ensure health, hygiene and wellbeing.
B3. That measures be adopted to guarantee a basic water supply to all homes or as close to them as possible. In situations of poverty, governments must guarantee a minimum supply of water.
B4. That legal systems and the regulations drawn up take non-detrimental cultural habits and the ancestral rights of local communities into consideration.
B5. That the management of public water and sanitation services be under the control of public authorities.
B6. That the demand for water should be monitored to fit in with educational, informational, participative and tariff-based criteria.
B7. That delays in water supplies reaching rural areas should be shortened through the exchange of experiences and participative management schemes, which should be adapted to and accepted by the communities using them.
B8. That technologies be promoted and applied to bring about water savings, desalination and sea water applications, the harvesting of fog and rain, and the purification, regeneration and reuse of water. Such technologies should be energy-efficient with a low environmental impact in order to reach sustainable energy targets.
B9. That given the anticipated figures in population growth, countries should consider agriculture to be both an economic and strategic sector.
B10. That measures be devised and disseminated to improve irrigation systems through a more efficient use of water energy.
B11. That viable funding schemes with guarantees be drawn up between countries and institutions. They should provide for the possibility of attracting capital from the market for investments in the water infrastructures necessary to provide public supply and sanitation services, as well as attracting the human resources required to do so.
B12. That rational economic criteria be applied that promote efficiency and sustainability, which should likewise adopt the principles of social and environmental justice in the management of water.
B13. That integrated policies be set to facilitate the allocation of water for its various uses, providing that in doing so economic efficiency and environmental quality are favoured.
B14. That all citizens share the responsibility of the integrated management of water and sustainability.
B15. That citizens come to realise that water is the heritage of all living beings, not just a resource for human use.
Zaragoza, 14 September 2008
Closing Day of the 2008 Zaragoza International Exhibition
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