The Bandung Spirit Water Summit (21 May 2024, Bali, Indonesia)

The Bandung Spirit Water Summit was one of the main programmes and the high-level panels of the Tenth World Water Forum held in Bali, Indonesia, from 18 to 25 May 2024. The United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) co-organized this event with the Government of Indonesia, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the High Level Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP), the World Water Council (WWC), Club de Madrid (CdM), Sanitation and Water for All (SWA), and the Geneva Water Hub (GWH) with the aim of generating innovative actions to overcome the global water crisis and achieve all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Approximately 500 stakeholders, including twenty high-level participants such as the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, former heads of state and government, heads of UN organizations, and thirty government officials, UN agency experts, and youth attended the summit and discussed on three key areas related to urgent water issues: “Water, Disasters and Climate Change”; “Sanitation and Water for All”; and “Water for Peace”.

At the summit's opening ceremony, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan delivered a keynote lecture titled "Water for Shared Prosperity", via video. His lecture, based on his visit to Indonesia in 2023 as well as fieldworks on water-related facilities and historical places both in Japan and abroad, emphasized the deep connection between people and water and its relation to all the SDGs. The recording of his speech and the Japanese-English transcript are available on the Imperial Household Agency's website. The Mayor of Kumamoto City, Mr. Kazufumi Onishi, also contributed to the discussion at the high-level pane session on “Sanitation and Water for All” by highlighting the importance of groundwater conservation in addressing water issues and presenting Kumamoto City's efforts in.

The outcomes of the summit were summarized in the "The Spirit of Bandung: A Call to Actions", and UNCRD and co-organizers prepared the agenda and outcome document for the summit. UNCRD also led the coordination of invitations of former heads of state and government and was closely involved in event preparation as well as its organization. The outcome document of the summit will be disseminated at major international conferences from now on and will be worked towards the implementation of the actions outlined in the outcome document.

For details, please access the links.

• Programme
• The Background Document: The Bandung Spirit Water Summit」