經濟部水利署

ABOUT

Water Leader Summit

According to the United Nations' World Water Development Report 2023, 26% of the world’s population (2 billion people) does not have access to safely managed drinking water services. Water is the spring of life, and no living things on earth can live without water. 70% of the human body is water. 70% of the earth's surface is covered by water. It is everywhere. World Water Day 2023 is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. As climate change intensifies, populations continue to grow, and environmental pollution expands, the imbalance of water supply and demand will surely be wreaking havoc on the global economy, health, and even regional stability. The latest data shows that countries around the world have to speed up what they are doing now four times faster in order to make the UN sustainable development goal SDG 6: clean water & sanitation possible, and this is not something any single country or organization can do alone. It is fair to say that in the face of water-related challenges brought about by extreme weather, no one is an outsider.

Climate action failure has claimed the top spot in the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Global Risks Report. It includes “Failure to mitigate climate change”, “Failure of climate-change adaptation” and “Natural disasters and extreme weather events”. Climate crisis ramps up with devastatingly frequent floods and droughts, leading to higher risks of water shortages, and making water resources important more than ever. Water is an integral part in the diverse development of the environment, economy, society, and culture, and has a profound impact on what is to come in the world. It is therefore critical that we find another way to reimage our common future of water.

"Taiwan International Water Forum 2023"hosted by the Water Resources Agency will be focusing on ‘Vision for Water’, hoping to go deep into ‘water and corporate sustainability’, ‘water and energy’, ‘water and nature-based solutions’, and ‘water and carbon reduction technology’. Starting from innovation, the forum sets to spark ‘cross-border’ cooperation for the industry, government, and academia from home and abroad. Just like Zhu Xi (1130–1200 CE), one of the most influential Chinese Neo-Confucian scholars in the Song Dynasty of imperial China once said: “A half-acre square pond is crystal clear, mirroring the sky, clouds, and shadows. Asked where the water comes from? It is none other than the running source water. “It is due to the inexhaustible source water, so that we can have the water that is pure and clear for our use. To ensure a beautiful water future, it takes all of us to work together now. If only we manage water resources sustainably, human beings can continue to live and create a sustainable future where we co-exist, grow, and prosper with water.