Over 40 FAN members attended the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico City in March 2006 along with almost 20,000 participants, representing governmental, intergovernmental and civil society organisations, private companies, local authorities and legislators. Participants engaged in 206 thematic sessions and presented 1,600 Local actions for a global challenge over 5 days.
The event was held at the Banamex Centre, a huge exhibition centre in Mexico City. FAN had a stand in the Water Fair along with other civil society organisations, but we were very disappointed by the dominance of commerical organizations in the Water Expo and it was shocking to find that the only drinking water available in the Forum was bottled by the Coca-Cola Company.
FAN members got involved in many different activities in the Forum and enjoyed sharing experiences, learning from others and promoting their initiatives to a wide and diverse international audience. For them it was a unique opportunity to network, lobby and build relationships with each other, with donors and with senior government officials. Read FAN members' session reports and more about our activities at the Forum
High levels of security at the Banamex Centre and the cost of entry prohibited entry for many local people and Mexican groups. This led to further accusations that the Forum was an undemocratic, exclusive talk-shop. However, on a more positive note, most sessions did seek to explore pro-poor and sustainable solutions to water management and were of a high standard and well attended. It is not clear at this stage what will happen to the outcomes but FAN will be monitoring the process. Read about the official Forum outcomes here
An estimated 10,000 protesters took part in the "March in Defense of Water against the Forum in Mexico City and some FAN members participated in the Alternative Forum; the International Forum in Defence of Water, Read more