News
Sharing Visions and Experiences One Year after World Water Day March 2013
Brigitte van Baren and Alide Roerink
It is one year now since the Netherlands hosted the Wings for Water multi stakeholders dialogue on 21 March 2013 in the Peace Palace and the World Water Day event on 22 March 2013 in the Global Forum in The Hague, The Netherlands. Representatives from all over the world from all backgrounds and generations celebrated World Water Day and discussed the theme of Water Cooperation and the aim of Prioritising Water on the Development Agenda Beyond 2015. As part of the organizing team, we hereby offer an online platform to all participants and partners to reflect and share experiences and observations. Please read the blogs on this page and follow their example. We welcome all contributions which speak to the following questions:
- What steps have been taken to implement the Wake-up Call on Water?
- What has been achieved to prioritise water on the Post 2015 agenda?
- What are key ingredients for a successful example of multi-stakeholder Water Cooperation?
- What challenges do you identify which should be overcome?
Water remains a Dutch priority
Author: Maarten Gischler, Deputy Head of Water and Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands Time flies. A year has passed since The Netherlands hosted World Water Day 2013 in The Hague, dedicated to water cooperation. Twelve months, since the wake-up call on water. Drafted in a collaborative process, this wake-up call made an urgent and specific appeal to politicians, finance ministers, farmers, consumers, CEOs, scientists, youth, etc., to each take responsibility for their part in the resolution of the water crises across...
read moreThe Global Interfaith WASH Alliance
– an inspirational example of a multistakeholder cooperation on water By Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, Jacob Soetendorp Institute, Earth Charter Commissioner The Wings for Water dialogue that took place exactly one year ago was the place where several unprecedented initiatives were conceived. For the first time religious leaders had been invited to participate in the intensive international deliberations on water cooperation. Listening to the richness of experience and expertise the different religious leaders, experts and activists brought...
read moreProduce Food with Care for Soil Fertility and Fresh Water
Volkert Engelsman, CEO Eosta, Nature & More, World Board IFOAM, Earth Charter Endorser Only 2.5% of the world’s water mass is available as fresh water. 70% of that is frozen in the icecaps, locked up in groundwater, in deep underground aquifers or present as soil moisture. That means that less than 1% of the world’s fresh water is accessible for direct human use. 70% of this is used for agricultural purposes. The most common sources of soil and water pollution are the use of mineral fertilizers, agro chemicals and waste disposal...
read moreSister Water, she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.
Huib Klamer, Secretary Philosophy and Corporate Social Responsibility Employers Organization VNO-NCW-MKB, the Netherlands Recently I gave a speech about Pope Franciscus. The central motto of the Jesuits is discernment. Where do I see God in my daily life and work? And how do I act accordingly? A similar question can be applied in regard to water. How do I use water? What is my impact, my footprint, my behavior? Shortly after the events in the Netherlands celebrating World Water Day on 21 and 22 March 2013, I have posed myself this question. I...
read moreFight against privatization of water via the Ruataniwha dam
Pauline Tangiora, ambassador to The International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers and Earth Charter Commissioner, New Zealand The year following the Wings for Water Dialogue on 21 March 2013 and World Water Day 22 March 2013 in the Netherlands has gone so quickly. Here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, we are having the biggest fight against privatization of water via the Ruataniwha dam, envisaged by run off from a river. Because of intensive farming in Hawkes Bay and the high agriculture production, this proposal to have investors to provide...
read moreWorld Water Day 2014 Wake Up: Water Defenders are Human Rights Defender
Jan van de Venis, Chairperson StandUpForYourRights, JustLaw, Earth Charter Friends, Worldconnectors @janvandevenis World Water Day 2014 Wake Up: Water Defenders are Human Rights Defenders Last week I attended an impressive UN meeting with Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs) in Geneva. Many, if not most, of the cases involving (threats or) violence done to these EHRDs involved issues on water, in most cases water polluted by companies with local governments not stopping or even supporting them. Water and Sanitation was explicitly...
read moreTemples to Toilets – Global Interfaith WASH Alliance Launched at the United Nations in Partnership with UNICEF
News New York Launching GIWA September 25th, 2013: Today a special alliance was launched at the UNICEF headquarters at the United Nations. Convened by Rabbi Soetendorp and Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, religious heads from around the world officially launched the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA) – an alliance of leaders of faith working together to bring clean water, sanitation and hygiene to people of the world. They were joined by Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF and Ms. Liliane Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade...
read moreWings for Water – launching Global Interfaith WASH Alliance New York
Multi-stakeholder “Wings for Water” Event, prospective date: 25 September 2013, The workshop will bring together some 80 – 100 leaders from governments, the United Nations, civil society, business, interfaith and religious leaders, indigenous communities and youth organizations to discuss the theme of water in the Post 2015 UN Development Agenda. The above mentioned leaders and experts will be invited to speak at this event and share their views and experiences, especially as most of them would not make an international travel if they would...
read moreMet aandacht leven en werken
In het hedendaagse bedrijfsleven hebben veel mensen last van het hoge tempo waar in het leven zich afspeelt. De aanhoudende roep om meer te presteren in minder tijd lijkt een haast onmenselijke vorm van werken op te leveren en leidt vaak tot ziekte en burn-out. Het wordt dan ook de hoogste tijd om deze ongezonde werkspiraal te doorbreken en stiltemomenten op het werk te introduceren. Meditatieve momenten in het werkpatroon inpassen blijkt een positieve uitwerking te hebben: er ontstaat weer ruimte voor enthousiasme en bezieling met...
read moreBrigitte van Baren, Sprankelende stilte
In het bedrijfsleven zien we een toenemende persoonlijke druk die onmenselijke vormen begint aan te nemen.Het is hoog tijd die ongezonde werkspiraal te keren door stilte en verstilling als kwaliteitsbegrippen te introduceren. Her en der zijn ondernemers op zoek naar andere, meer persoonlijke vormen van leidinggeven. De ontwikkeling van authentiek leiderschap begint met tijd reserveren voor de stilte die toegang geeft tot onze diepere belevingswereld en die van de ander. Zo ontstaat er een leiderschapsvorm die eerder dienend dan sturend is en...
read moreBrigitte van Baren, Kracht van compassie
Dit boek beschrijft een nieuwe stijl van leidinggeven die managers houvast biedtin de wereldwijde crisis. Liefde voor de natuur, compassie met mensen en eenvoud zijn hierbij de richtlijnen. De ervaring leert dat de oude mystici inspirerende en vernieuwende leiders waren. Een van hen was Franciscus van Assisi. Zijn leven maakt duidelijk hoeveel kracht er in zachte waarden schuilt als iemand ze wezenlijk doorleeft. Het universele en actuele van het Franciscaans leiderschap wordt in perspectief gezet door dit te vergelijken met elementen uit het...
read moreBrigitte van Baren, Meer bereiken met minder doen
Het huidige bedrijfsleven is veeleisend en vraagt voortdurend om betere prestatiesin een korter tijdsbestek. Als gevolg hiervan staat menigeenonder hoge druk en komt men te weinig toe aan rust en ontspanning. Maar zelfs in een hectisch bestaan kan men innerlijke rust en stilte ervaren door met gerichte aandacht de geest te beteugelen. Er ontstaat een innerlijke ruimte en vrijheid waarin we de juiste prioriteiten kunnen stellen. Een aandachtige houding levert een creatieve wijze van denken en doen, met een juiste timing. Het toepassen van...
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