Water
and Culture: Traditional Water Management and Global Environmental
Change.
A small
delegation from NAILSMA attended the 5th World Water
Forum 16-22 March 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey. The
Delegation included Nolan Hunter, Deputy Director of the Kimberley
Land Council, and Joe Ross, Chairperson of the Indigenous Water
Policy Group.
The World Water Forum is
held every three years to raise importance, awareness and
understanding of water issues and to propose meaningful solutions
to global water challenges. The 5th Forum was about
Bridging Divides for Water and aimed to bring water experts from
across the globe together to debate and share solutions that
consider world wide views and challenges for water security.
Bridging the divide emphasised the need for greater interaction and
communication to reduce barriers between modern and traditional
water cultures and uses.
Water and Cultural Diversity
was one of the six themes presented at the 5th World
Water Forum. Several panel sessions were planned for the Water and
Cultural Diversity theme, but only one session highlighted
Indigenous Peoples directly. The United Nations University –
Institute of Advanced Studies Traditional Knowledge Institute
(UNU-IAS
TKI) in collaboration with NAILSMA and the Istanbul Bilgi
University convened a panel session on ‘Traditional Water
Management and Global Environmental Change: Charting Sustainable
Paths for the Future’. This panel session explored the role
of Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Knowledge in the way water
resources are managed and perceived in the face of western
technologies and commodification and current environmental
challenges.
Joe Ross, Chairperson of the
IWPG,
and Nolan Hunter presented on the panel with other Indigenous
leaders from Central America, North America, Kenya and the Cook
Islands. The session bridged the divide between traditional
knowledge and water science and management systems in maintaining
the sustainability of water resources. It attempted to uncover
knowledge management strategies that have persisted over time
through enduring Indigenous traditional custodial responsibility to
water resources. Joe Ross and Nolan Hunter presented perspectives
from northern Australia.
The NAILSMA delegation
launched the ‘
Garma International Indigenous Water Declaration’ at the
World Water Forum. This declaration was conceived at the
International Indigenous Water Experts Forum on Indigenous
Water Knowledge and Interests that was held at the Garma festival
in Gulkula, north east Arnhem Land of the Northern Territory. In
August 2008, NAILSMA and the UNU-IAS TKI co-convened a meeting in
Gulkula of Indigenous representatives from Canada, USA, Guatemala,
the Andes and many parts of Australia to exchange perspectives on
Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and interests in
water. The declaration that was drafted during that meeting
has since been finalised and endorsed by the participants of the
Garma meeting. Nolan Hunter launched the Declaration at the 5th
World Water Forum.
The NAILSMA delegation felt
privileged to present with Indigenous leaders from other parts of
the world and share experiences on an international platform and
forge further relationships with national and international water
experts at the World Water Forum. The delegation supported the
concept of the Indigenous World Forum Council for Water and Peace
in holding a global event in 2010. The delegation also participated
in a United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)-International Hydrological Programme (IHP)
roundtable
discussion on 'Bridging divides: Promoting cultural diversity as
key to water sustainability' and the launching of the policy brief
UNESCO-IHP Expert Advisory Group on Water and Cultural
Diversity.
NAILSMA acknowledges
The Nature Conservancy for its
generosity in providing support for a NAILSMA delegation to attend
the 5th World Water Forum.
