Wings for Water event
Handing over the Wake-up Call to Kitty van der Heijden Dutch ambassador for sustainable development and Director of Environment, Water, Climate and Energy at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on water called ‘Wings for Water’ in March 2013.
The Wings for Water dialogue will be organized as part of the successful series of multi-stakeholder dialogues organized by Inner Sense, Earth Charter Netherlands and the Soetendorp Institute including
- The ‘Wings for Rio+20’ Exclusive Leadership Forum, which took place in May 2012 in the Hague, empowered participants and decision makers of the Rio Earth Summit with a spiritual manifesto which was endorsed by some of the world’s most important spiritual leaders such as His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
- The ‘Wings for Earth Charter’ event which took place in the Royal Tropical Theatre in Amsterdam in the follow-up of Rio+20 in September 2012, at which the participating spiritual leaders empowered the principles of the Earth Charter and the youth initiative ‘Thumbs up Africa’
- The ‘Wings for Water’ Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Water hosted by the Dutch foreign ministry that took place on March 21 in the Peace Palace in The Hague, as a pre-event of the international celebrations of World Water Day 2013 on March 22. The excellent inputs and presentations from the different leaders and experts revealed that the different sectors of society, including religion, can contribute immensely to the aim of achieving a water-secure world. The participating religious leaders drafted an interfaith statement on water and contributed to the Wings for Water Wake Up Call on Water Cooperation
- To share good practice examples of initiatives on water and sanitation,
- To review the progress to date on the MDGs on water and sanitation and discuss how to make best use of the remaining two years to 2015
- To announce the creation of the GIWA and expand its base of support among governments, UN organizations, business and youth organizations
- To prepare joint advocacy strategy for ensuring an ambitious new international target on water and sanitation as part of the SDG framework
The planned workshop will build on the legacy of these ‘Wings’ events and will officially inaugurate the GIWA. It will be hosted by the above mentioned partners of the “Wings” conferences, the Ganga Action Parivar and a coalition of Interfaith Organizations in New York City including the Temple of Understanding and the United Religions Initiative.
The aims of the event are: