So what's this about the Pope Benedict XVI and Shakira in México
City? More on that later.
As I mentioned a week ago, I spent a few days in México City at a water resources climate change adaptation workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) sponsored by CONAGUA, the Méxican National Water Commission. I was representing AWRA.
This event was part of the Water Forum for the Americas (WFA), a loose group of organziations (both GOs and NGOs) who are trying to develop an American (as in North, South, and Central) agenda for the Sixth World Water Forum (6WWF) to be held in Marseille in March 2012. The Méxican organization ANEAS, headed by Ing. Roberto Olivares, is coordinating the WFA activities.
Over six months ago I attended the WFA organizational meeting in Costa Rica. The workshop was the second meeting with future meetings scheduled: LAC water ministers in early July; at World Water Week in Stockholm in September; and at COP-16 in Cancun in November-December.
The USA and Canada are supposed to be participating officially in the WFA but appear to have dropped out. The LAC countries are taking the initiative, with the emphasis on the 'LA.' Only two non-Latino Caribbean countries had representatives present: Jamaica and Belize. There was a handful of gringos at the workshop: myself; Daene McKinney from the University of Texas-Austin; Fernando Miralles from Florida International University; and maybe one or two others. None of us was there in an official capacity. At least at the Costa Rica meeting s0meone from the US Embassy attended; not so in México City. I did not note anyone from Canada at either meeting.
The workshop went well. CONAGUA should have complete information at the workshop WWW site, including a video of the entire meeting. A small group is writing up the results and recommendations for circulation to the group.
My ICIWaRM colleague Miralles gave a wonderful prersentation, including a discussion of the qualities that we should be instilling in future water resources professionals: 1) perpetual learning; 2) communication with those outside one's discipline; 3) embrace of teamwork; 4) global thinking; and 5) a water/environmental ethic. He emphasized that tomorrow's professionals need to thin k differently from today's, and we must educate them to do so.
He also addressed the role of population growth in climate change and water resources stress. It is something people rarely discuss.
Click here to access presentations and program.
Okay, so what about the Pope and Shakira? Were they present? No, of course not. But we did talk about them. In my breakout session, we discussed outreach and how to make people more aware of CC, adaptation, and water resources. We agreed that the message and the messenger are very important. So we recommended that, among other things, celebrities be enlisted who would appeal to folks in the LAC countries. I mentioned Lady Gaga, but shouts of 'Shakira!' soon indicated the attendees' preference. Pope Benedict XVI was also mentioned as someone who has a great deal of influence and would be an influential spokesperson.
So that's the easy part. Now, to enlist them. One guy said he knew Shakira's brother. That's a start.
I want to thank the Mexicans for their wonderful (as usual!) hospitality and graciouseness, especially: Estrellita Fuentes, CONAGUA's International Affairs Manager, who organized the workshop and did so in a smooth and efficient manner; Roberto Olivares, Executive Director of ANEAS; Claudia Coria of ANEAS; and Colin Herron of CONAGUA (okay, a Brit fluent in Spanish).
I hope to stay involved in this process.
"En boca cerrada, no entran moscas." -- Mexican proverb ( "Flies do not enter a closed mouth" or "Silence is golden")
Hi Michael, thanks for the link. Nice site... and also thanks for the plug on my talk. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll see you around.
Posted by: Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm | Tuesday, 29 June 2010 at 04:50 AM