Opening Ceremony
At the Opening Ceremony of the 4th APWS, Mr. Yoshiro Mori, Chair of the Joint Executive Committee of the 4th APWS, President of the APWF, and former Prime Minister of Japan, delivered his opening remarks. He highlighted that water is the cornerstone of national and regional prosperity, that human wisdom is required to accept and share the blessings and threats of water, and that resolving water issues is essential to achieving human security in environmental, economic, and social linkages.
His Majesty the Emperor kindly gave us his remarks that he hoped that the leaders of countries participating in the Summit would share their visions and thoughts. International organizations, national agencies, NGOs, experts, and many others are expected to bring together their wisdom through discussions and try to find solutions for various water challenges and turn them into concrete action. He sincerely hoped that this 4th APWS would bear fruitful results and become a momentous step towards meeting water challenges in the Asia-Pacific Region and around the world, thereby bringing about peace and happiness for all human beings.
Mr. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, delivered his opening address. He kindly mentioned the one who governs water governs the country. Governing water greatly contributes to resolving social issues on a global scale. He emphasized that political leaders have the duty to spearhead efforts to address water issues to facilitate resilient and sustainable development.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres kindly gave us his video message and noted the progress in the world toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is severely off track. He emphasized prioritizing financing to improve water management, better cooperation to enhance resilience, and accelerated action.
As the representation from the 4th APWS organizers, Mr. Mark Pascoe, the new chair of the APWF Governing Council, shared the overview of the APWF, the achievement of the past APWS, and expressed his enthusiasm for the 4th APWS and dissemination of the achievement toward water-related SDGs and quality growth in Asia and the Pacific. Mr. Kazufumi Onishi, Mayor of Kumamoto, introduced the measures for groundwater conservation in Kumamoto city, and their activities are highly evaluated worldwide, as seen in 2013 the United Nations Best Water Practices award, “Water for Life.” He also conveyed a message of appreciation for the support Kumamoto City received from people in Japan and overseas and hoped to stage a strong rally after the Kumamoto earthquake in April 2016.
Two high school students of Kumamoto Kita high school declared the commencement of the 4th APWS in English.
Address by His Majesty the Emperor at the Opening Ceremony 4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit
(Website of the Imperial Household Agency)
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| Mr. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan |
Mr. Yoshiro Mori, Chair of the Joint Executive Committee of the 4th APWS, President of the APWF |