15 - 27 March 2009 (TBD)

Istanbul, Turkey

Field trips: Ethiopia and India

Poor sanitation, hygiene and water supply causes billions of people to suffer every day, but you won't hear it on the daily news. Journalists who want to write or broadcast stories on the health, social or environmental aspects of water and sanitation often find it difficult to do so because they don't understand the complexity of the issues or their relevance, or because politics, sports and entertainment are prioritized in their newsrooms. For journalists in developing countries, the situation is especially challenging. Nonetheless, the fact remains: access to safe sanitation is vital to human welfare and dignity, yet 2.5 billion people don't have it. And water. Without a doubt, it is the fabric which connects the quilt of life, yet two-thirds of the planet will be water short by 2050. The Earth’s ecosystems, societies and individuals need it. Without water, food security and human health, energy supplies and industrial production would be unobtainable. Plants and wildlife and their ecosystems need water. Shortages and poor management can lead to loss of biodiversity, increase in malnutrition and disease, reduced economic growth, social instability and conflict. Water helps regulate the global climate, and water resources are affected by global climate change.

The planet faces a long-term water crisis, one which is exacerbated by factors such as climate change and urbanization. At the same time, poor sanitation and hygiene kills 5,000 children -- the equivalent of 12 full jumbo jets -- every day due to preventable diarrheal disease. The good news is that solutions to both crises exist. As gatekeepers to broader audiences, journalists can both expose the scale and seriousness of the issues, and stimulate the implementation of solutions.

PATH, Water Advocates, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, World Water Council, Media21

Twenty-five print, television, radio and web journalists from Africa, Asia, North America, Europe and South America, working in mainstream and specialized media.

With the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul providing a unique journalistic background for learning, working and networking, the workshop Healthier People, Wealthier Planet: The Urgency of the Water and Sanitation Crisis will include sessions on the major water and sanitation challenges facing the planet. Particular emphasis will be on water and sanitation as they relate to  poverty and development, human rights, and conservation.

The Istanbul workshop will provide journalists with an unparalleled opportunity to learn and to meet leading water and sanitation practitioners, researchers, policy makers, private sector and specialised media. This will provide a unique opportunity for journalists, public health experts, international organisations and activists to interact with each other.

The workshop and subsequent field trips (to Ethiopia and India) will also include a strong focus on health, because the leading causes of death in low-income countries are not AIDS, TB or malaria but respiratory infections and diarrhoea (first and third respectively), both of which are closely linked to water and sanitation. Diarrhea and pneumonia are also top killers of children worldwide, accounting for nearly 40% of all childhood deaths globally. More than 2.5 billion people – 40% of the world’s population – lack access to a toilet or improved sanitation. Simple and proven interventions, including increased access to clean drinking water, improved hygiene and sanitation, have enormous potential to save lives and provide great forward momentum on both Millennium Development Goals 4 and 7. Those without clean water and safe sanitation face a dire situation which confronts their daily existence and assaults their dignity. For them, lack of access to what some call basic human rights to water and sanitation impedes their ability to come out of poverty and live healthy and productive lives.

The World Water Forum, held for the fifth time by the World Water Council, is the main water-related event in the world, aimed at putting water firmly on the international agenda. A stepping stone towards global collaboration on water problems, the Forum offers the water community and policy-and-decision- makers from all over the world the unique opportunity to come together to create links, debate and attempts to find solutions to achieve water security. Some 20,000 leading water , sanitation, environment and human development experts from around the world will attend. The forum provides a unique opportunity for journalists, experts from different disciplines, international organizations and activists to interact with each other.

Week 1 (morning content sessions with leading experts, afternoon editorial planning sessions with Media21 staff, elective Forum session and other press events)

In addition to the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to cover issues and discuss with experts in Forum sessions addressing these overarching themes:

Water and Climate Change

Water, Food and Energy

Water and Disasters

Governance and Management

Global Changes & Risk Management

Water and Financing

Education, Knowledge and Capacity Development

Week 2 (Field trip - Ethiopia and India)