Turks Have High Profile in Global Water Institutions

As is well known, both the quality and the quantity of water resources are adversely affected by the fast-growing population of the world, climate change, increasing urbanization and the development of agriculture and industry.

There is a total of 1.4 billion cubed kilometers of water in the world and 97.4 percent of this amount is salt water while only 2.6 percent is fresh water. The majority of the fresh water is located in the polar regions.

Water availability becomes more and more important every single day, and especially so in arid regions. The establishment of institutes and organizations focusing on water studies started in the 1970s in conjunction with a general emphasis on environmental policies to preserve water resources and ensure their efficient use. The earliest were large international organizations such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme. Some of the other principal international organizations that specialize in this area are the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), established in 1971; the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). The IWRA is a leading, reliable, education and development-oriented, international non-profit, non-political and nongovernmental organization well known for improving understanding on water issues and as a defender of the management of the world’s water resources in general. The IWRA’s goals include addressing problems related to international water resources as well as building and enhancing related partnerships and mechanisms.

In addition, the World Water Council was established in 1996 -- four years after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit -- along with the Global Water Partnership (GWP), which was established in the same year jointly by the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The mission of the World Water Council, which is known as an international policy think tank, is to ensure global sustainability of critical life resources and the protection, development, planning, management and use of water in all its dimensions with the aim of promoting awareness of the fair use of water at the highest decision-making level. Moreover, the World Water Council organizes the World Water Forum every three years. Turkey hosted the World Water Forum successfully in 2009 in İstanbul and this achievement was followed by the creation of the İstanbul International Water Forum, held every two years. The first of these was organized in 2009 and the second in 2011. The aim of the İstanbul International Water Forum is to provide a platform for more cooperation and coordination among international and local water stakeholders in Turkey and around Turkey in order to address regional water issues more deeply and come up with joint solutions.

Due to its geography and water resources, Turkey is one of the countries at the forefront when it comes to water studies and trans-boundary water resources in particular. A regional development project, the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), realized by Turkey in the Euphrates and Tigris basin, known in history as Upper Mesopotamia, is one of the main issues on the agenda within the scope of water studies.

Engineers, specialists, officials and other professionals from Turkey have begun to take on important roles at these institutions that shape the world’s water agenda and policies. Dr. Olcay Ünver, GAP Regional Development Agency director from 1991 to 2003, has been working as UN World Water Assessment Programme coordinator since May 22, 2007. The World Water Assessment Programme was established in order to ensure coordination among institutions within and outside the UN on the management of world water resources. In addition, this organization prepares the World Water Development reports as well.

Turkey more active in world’s water agenda, policies

Professor Doğan Altınbilek became the president of the executive board of the International Water Resources Association as of Jan. 1, 2013, for the 2013-2015 term. Professor Altınbilek, who also served as president of the International Hydropower Association (IHA) from 2004 to 2008, was also a member of the executive board of IHA from 2002 until Feb. 15, 2013, and he is still an honorary member. Professor Altınbilek organized the International Hydropower Association World Congress in 2007 in Antalya, in which former President and Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel also participated. In addition, Professor Altınbilek was elected vice president of the bureau of the board of governors of the World Water Council (WWC) for a two-year term beginning in 2013. In the same elections, Dr. Akif Özkaldı, general director of the State Waterworks Authority (DSİ), and İrfan Aker from Dolsar Engineering were elected to serve as governors on the board, and Haluk Büyükbaş, secretary-general of the Turkish Contractors Association, was elected to be an alternate governor, to name just a few of those representing Turkey in this international assembly. The WWC is the agency that organized the 5th World Water Forum in İstanbul. The Turkish Water Institute, which took part in organizing the forum as well, serves as an observer on the board of governors of the WWC for three years until 2018. In light of this information, one can easily say that Turkey has a strong level of representation on the WWC.

On Nov. 2, 2011, the Turkish Water Institute (SUEN) was established. The priority of SUEN, the most recent actor in Turkish water management policy, is to guide and monitor water studies for the future; to develop the short-term and long-term water management strategy of our country and to ensure coordination among institutions and organizations working for water management. In addition, as one of the organizers of the 5th World Water Forum, SUEN represents our country at international water events. The president of SUEN, Professor Ahmet Mete Saatçi, is the term president of the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO)-Europe and SUEN serves as the secretariat for the European INBO conference, as well.

In 2012, Dr. Hüseyin Gündoğdu was elected vice president of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), a nongovernmental organization established in 1950. ICID is a scientific and technical organization working on the issues of irrigation and drainage, techniques for efficient and productive irrigation, improving water and increasing the efficiency of water use as well as disseminating these developments throughout the world. ICID cooperates with water-related institutions in cooperating countries, which in Turkey is the DSİ.

There are experts from our country participating in the work of these institutions which play an important role in the protection and efficient use of water resources as well as shaping global environmental policies. This has eliminated the shortcoming of not having experts in the management of these institutions from our country, which is significant because trans-boundary water resources are a critical element of foreign policy. This shortcoming previously meant that Turkey could not take part as a decision-maker in drafting legal texts on water and that Turkey had difficulties explaining its case on water to the world. Now, taking part in the work of these institutions will provide the opportunity for Turkey to promote its experience and its knowledge of water policies widely and in a more efficient manner so that they can be used extensively. Turkish experts’ experience and participation in international organizations devoted to water issues will be key to establishing new water policies.