In addition to representatives of the German Government and the World Bank, some 50 high-level government representatives from regions particularly affected by the water problem, such as Southern Africa, South East Asia and the Middle East, will participate in the Conference in Bonn. The purpose of the conference is to discuss problems related to transboundary water management and to jointly develop solutions.
Water is one of the basic conditions necessary to support life and economy in any human society.
This condition is increasingly threatened. Approximately one billion people do not have access to clean water. The race for access to scarce, clean water resources constitutes a potential threat to the political and economic stability of whole regions. In order to ensure that the unevenly distributed chances to receive sufficient water will not trigger violent conflicts, a solution has to be found to the problem of water usage on a partnership basis and across national borders. This presupposes close regional cooperation of all parties concerned.