Exclusive interview with Marie-Laure Vercambre from French Water Partnership (FWP)
Alain BOINET
Before talking about the 10th WEF, which has just been held in Bali, where you were, could you introduce yourself and the PFE to our readers ?
Marie-Laure VERCAMBRE
It’s a pleasure! I’ve been the director of the French Water Partnership, more commonly known to our members as the FWP, since June 2019. Before that, I was a member of the college reserved for ‘individual’ members because I worked for an international NGO. However, the members of the PFE, with the exception of individuals, all represent a French organisation. I ran the Water for Life and Peace programme for Green Cross International, an NGO founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, for around ten years. I coordinated the implementation of water and sanitation projects in a dozen countries, as well as our organisation’s advocacy on the human right to drinking water and sanitation (recognised by the United Nations in 2010), and on transboundary watercourses. Subjects that were also addressed by the PFE!
Getting back to the PFE: the PFE is a not-for-profit association with around 200 members of very different natures. The PFE welcomes 1. representatives of ministries, agencies and public establishments, 2. members of parliament and representatives of local authorities, 3. research and training institutes and universities, 4. economic players, 5. associations, NGOs and foundations, and 6. individuals who represent them alone. They all join the PFE in its work. And we make them work! in thematic working groups, whose aim is to monitor the state of play on this subject internationally and to develop the PFE’s collective advocacy. For example, we are developing advocacy on water and climate change, biodiversity, Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, soil and agroecology, and access to water, sanitation and hygiene in crisis and conflict situations. We then take them to major events such as the COPs and World Water Weeks and Forums. Recently, however, we have been trying to bring them to other water-related sectors (agriculture, energy, industry, etc.). The FWP’s mission is also to facilitate meetings with international players and to help raise the profile of French expertise and the solutions proposed on all these issues.
AB
You’ve taken part in previous Water Forums in Dakar, Daegu and elsewhere. What was the Bali Forum like ?
MLV
Wherever you are in Bali, there are signs telling you where to flee if there’s a tsunami. In hotels, in the streets… It’s very striking and it makes you realise that there is a risk of natural disaster. The Bali Forum devoted a great deal of space to responses to and prevention of the risk of natural disasters. Much more so than at any other Forum. Humanitarian and risk prevention actors have therefore been heard, and this is fundamental given the increase in extreme climatic phenomena. Our societies must ‘insure’ themselves against these risks and be able to deal with their consequences. We are a long way from achieving this when you consider that regions such as California are virtually uninsurable, due to chronic fires and water shortages in particular. The issue of risk has given a voice to populations living in crisis or fragile situations, which are also on the increase as a result of conflict.
After Dakar, the Basin Process was held for the second time in Bali, which is also a good thing if we want to promote basin management. This is the case in France, and such management – advocated by the IOWater, the OECD, the Global Water Partnership and the United Nations conventions on international watercourses – must be strengthened, and strengthened still further, and must be financed and inclusive. Conflicts of use are likely to increase. Having the right governance in place to deal with them while managing the basins in a sustainable way will be the basis for success.
There is a lot to say, so I will conclude with two points: Bali was able to welcome the Forum participants with all its tourist capacity. We were made very welcome and were able to discover the culture and cults of the island, in which water is central. It was a fine example of the link between water and culture that policies could build on.
On the other hand, we were disappointed that civil society organisations from elsewhere did not receive the financial support they had received at previous Forums. However, NGOs familiar with the Forums tried to intercede on their behalf by sending letters to the organisers. We were also disappointed that the alternative Forum, which was due to take place elsewhere in Bali, was cancelled at the last minute. This made many participants in the ‘official’ Forum uncomfortable and raises questions about its representativeness if contradiction is forbidden, not to mention the way it all happened.
AB
The PFE prepared proposals for the 10th WEF. How were they received and did they help to advance the cause of water? Can you give us an example ?
MLV
I believe that a message carried by the FWP for several years was percolated in the ministerial declaration of the Bali Forum: the need to find complementarity with the United Nations conferences on water, the 1st of which since 1977 took place in March 2023 in New York! and the next of which will be held in 2026, on the theme of sustainable development goal no. 6 on water and sanitation, which is supposed to be achieved like the other 16 goals by 2030. However, we are a long way from achieving this goal…
The Forums I have attended (since Istanbul in 2009) have always involved political processes (ministers, parliamentarians, local authorities, basins). Participation varies, but they lack the commitment of the declarations and resolutions adopted at the United Nations. The Forums are multi-stakeholder events that bring together all the players who wish to be involved in the preparatory processes for the Forums, which begin one or two years before the Forums themselves are held. A thematic process designed to cover all the major issues in water management, access to water, water services and the preservation of resources and ecosystems, accompanies the political process. They give rise to rich exchanges and have provided a valuable rhythm to these exchanges, which have taken place every three years since 1997.
One of the messages from the FWP is that the work of the Forums should be more officially directed towards what is being done on water at the United Nations. The question of the lasting impact of the Forums has not been established. This impact would be strengthened if clearer links were built with what exists at the United Nations and in other international processes (IUCN, other sectors, etc.) and the great involvement of the players deserves that the time and energy they devote to the Forums be relayed and optimised.
Another message that the FWP has formulated is that water stakeholders should approach the sectors that use water or have an impact on the environment to work with them to improve practices. This approach is repeated in the 2nd paragraph of the ministerial declaration. This is positive, because the water sector tended to make observations without mentioning the actions to be taken with others.
AB
The President of the World Water Council, Loïc Fauchon, declared in his introduction to the WWF that the players in the water sector were ‘combatants’, and he set out 7 major commitments, including the creation of a ‘Money for water coalition’. Beyond his statement, does this reflect an inflection in the tone and initiatives of the WEF as a whole ?
MLV
Let’s wait and see what happens with these commitments. We had the example of the Water Action Agenda at the New York conference last year. These commitments have the merit of getting people talking about water and bringing out a few actions, but they are largely insufficient.
What is certain is that the players in the water sector are very often combatants. The members of the FWP are passionate about their subjects, probably because they are vital and therefore essential. Water stakeholders are familiar with most of the major water-related issues. They understand how serious they are and are often very committed. The 5 axes of the acceleration framework proposed by UN-Water to have a chance of achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water (more funding, quality data and access to information, capacity development, innovation and governance) seem fairly obvious to many of them.
AB
Is there a correlation, an effective dynamic between this WEF, the follow-up to the 9th WEF in Dakar and with the next major deadlines (One Water Sumit, UN 2026 Conference, etc.) ?
MLV
The fact that these major water-related meetings are linked or respond to each other remains one of the major ways in which global water governance can be improved. In general, they enable meetings to be held on forthcoming deadlines, but this does not go much further, as I explained earlier. It has to be said that these major meetings on water are not yet scheduled very far in advance or on a regular basis. That doesn’t help… There are nevertheless more and more of them, that’s a fact, so we may be close to a major development.
AB
Tell me if I’m wrong or not. I wasn’t in Bali. I’m sure that the actors there did their utmost. But I get the impression that there’s a gap between the intentions and declarations and the real impact on the cause of water in the world, given what’s at stake and the timetable.
MLV
We have the impression that the problems aren’t really being solved, and given the level of achievement of SDG6 and the 12 other water-related targets in the 2030 Agenda, who could say otherwise? But the coalitions are getting closer, the debates are moving forward, and water is becoming politicised (in the positive sense of the term, i.e. receiving more and more attention). We are talking more and more about the risks associated with water availability, access to drinking water and sanitation for all, and environmental risks. The World Economic Forum in Davos has identified water scarcity and all its manifestations as one of the main risks facing the international community. There are also some excellent initiatives and major research projects underway, such as the OneWater-Eau Bien Commun project piloted by the CNRS, INRAe and BRGM, and there is innovative funding to be developed… We need to remain optimistic and push in the right direction.
AB
What should we take away from the Bali Declaration ?
MLV
The importance attached to Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), the responses to natural disasters, the need to adopt multi-sectoral action plans (nexus water, energy, agriculture, for example), and to develop the production of non-conventional water (creation of the Observatory of Non-Conventional Water Resources).
AB
Has there been any progress on the ‘Call to Action’ agenda concerning access to water and sanitation for those who are most deprived in poor countries affected by conflicts, disasters or major epidemics ?
MLV
There has been progress in terms of membership, and this is thanks to the NGOs that are pushing the issue. Espace France hosted a round table on the call to action and several organisations and governments have been approached about it. Let’s wait and see if it comes to fruition.
| The 10th World Water Forum in Bali, with its many sessions, provided an opportunity to take stock of the global situation, to draw attention to worrying situations and to identify solutions and even new strategies. One of these sessions was particularly well received: ‘Achieving SDG6 in contexts of crisis and fragility’, organised by Baptiste Lecuyot (Solidarité Internationale) and Bénédicte Wallez (Veolia Foundation). MDG6 will not be achieved – the figures are alarming! Universal access to drinking water would require 20 times more effort than at present, and this delay is intensifying in view of the increase in natural and man-made disasters (climate change, armed conflicts, etc.). This is a global problem, with vulnerable populations without access to water in every country, even the most developed, leading to new crises, new conflicts and epidemics (including cholera again and again). International humanitarian law (IHL) is still not respected.Despite these stark observations, the participants stressed the need to adopt integrated, multi-sectoral approaches. They called for political attention and increased funding to effectively meet these challenges and build resilient water and sanitation infrastructures. Achieving MDG6 requires concerted efforts, a shift to action with all stakeholders, including public-private-philanthropic partnerships (PPPP), and the inclusion of young people.Participants in this session: B. Lecuyot (Solidarités International), B. Wallez (Veolia Foundation), B. Pigott (US Environmental Protection Agency), W.C. Tizambo (Burkina Faso Ministry of the Environment, Water and Sanitation), C. Arnoux (Butterfly Effect), S. Gaya (UNICEF), F. Fetz (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), J. Damase Roamba (Burkinabe Youth Parliament), S. McGrath (IOM Global Wash Cluster), M. Wijaya (Solar Chapter), M. Sitali (Sanitation and Water for All).David PoinardManaging Director of the Veolia Foundation |
AB
How do you think we should prepare for the next stages (OWS, 2026, etc…), given the global challenges and the deadlines for the SDGs by 2030 ?
MLV
The FWP has not yet finalised specific positions with its members on the One Water Summit and the United Nations conference, but the main messages we have drawn up for the 2023 conference remain valid: 1. strongly accelerate action to achieve the 20 global water-related goals; 2. break out of the sectoral ‘silos’ and integrate the central role of water and sanitation in the 2030 Agenda into all the UN’s work (see our full messages).
One thing is certain: the UN Special Envoy for Water announced following this conference has not yet been appointed, which may come as a surprise. Some say that his post, his team and his activities will not be funded. Is this the case? To be continued…
The PFE would like to see the Agenda 2030 and its systemic approach, which have benefited from years of reflection and lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals process, continue to be promoted. What sense would these processes make if we condemned them in advance and just recreated another one, or not even one? We must not take the easy way out and stick to the Agenda 2030 framework, even if it means improving it with new indicators.
AB
An alternative Water Forum like the ones that usually take place at WEFs has been banned, there have been threats and bans. What do you think of this, as someone who was there, and what are we to make of it?
MLV
As I said earlier, and I’m speaking on my own behalf here, I find this extremely regrettable and hope that it won’t happen again. I also think it would be detrimental to the Forums in general. There were a few large NGOs and associations that could finance their participation in the ‘official’ Forum. But 1. there were very few associations that couldn’t afford it (and who made the effort or got help) and 2. international opponents of the official Forum and representatives of Indonesian civil society, and even regional civil society, were prevented from holding this alternative Forum, which the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation also wanted to attend. Serious allegations were made about the way the events unfolded. As I do not know the truth of these allegations, I prefer to comment only on what is certain: the forced cancellation at the last minute, the manpower deployed to prevent it, the refusal to accept the NGOs that had pleaded for a financial envelope to allow the participation of civil society organisations from far and wide. We welcomed the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Pedro Arrojo, to Espace France.
AB
How would you like to conclude this interview ?
MLV
By thanking the French players who were involved in this Forum. There were so many of us, and we were all bearers of hope and solutions. The alignment and solidarity between players is invaluable. Together we can go further, and promoting collective action is one of the added values of the PFE. We have also worked well upstream with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Water and Biodiversity Directorate of the Ministry of Ecological Transition. As well as with the water agencies, the French Office for Biodiversity, the French Development Agency, SIAAP, Suez, Veolia, Danone, and our associative members. I have the impression that everyone left galvanised by the need to take action, and that’s very positive.
Executive Director of the FWP since 2019 Marie-Laure Vercambre was previously in charge of the Water for Life and Peace programme of the NGO Green Cross International, founded by Mikhail Gorbachev. In this capacity, she supervised numerous development projects across Green Cross’ network of country branches and worked extensively on global water governance, the right to drinking water and sanitation and cross-border issues. She studied political science, international relations and development at Sciences Po Paris and New York and Columbia Universities.
Delegate General of the Veolia Foundation since April 2024, David Poinard is a hydrogeologist by training and holds a doctorate in urban hydrology from INSA Lyon. He has held a number of management positions at Veolia Water since 2001, and is also involved in Veolia Foundation operations as a Veoliaforce volunteer, working on development projects or in crisis situations (natural disasters and armed conflicts). He has also chaired the French Water Partnership (FWP) working group on ‘WASH in crisis and fragile contexts’ since 2020.
Discover the PFE’s proposals for the 10th WEF in Bali: MESSAGES_FME_FR-VF.pdf (partenariat-francais-eau.fr)
Read the text of the Wash Road Map Call to Action: final_cta_en.pdf (washroadmap.org)
The results for the 10th World Water Forum by Coalition Eau : What results for the 10th World Water Forum? (coalition-eau.org)
The WWF10 Ministerial Declaration Bali : 10th World Water Forum_Ministerial declaration.pdf (worldwatercouncil.org)