The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Social Infrastructure – Global Practice (SI-GP), ESID participated in 3rd World Irrigation Forum (WIF3), held in Indonesia under the theme of “Development for water, food and nutrition security in a competitive environment”. The WIF3 was organized by International Commission for Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) and hosted by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Directorate General of Water Resources in partnership with Asian Development Bank (ADB), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), World Bank, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and others. The Manager of Social Infrastructure Division Mr Sami Ahmad Faruqi Chaired the main plenary session and delivered a keynote at the High-Level Advisory Group Meeting where ADB, FAO, IsDB, World Bank and Ministers and Senior Government Officials together discussed policies and strategies direction in water sector. In total more than 1,500 participants from 60 countries, including ministers and vice-ministers from 9 countries and, representatives of 10 International Organizations attended the Forum

The WIF3 shared the following high-level statements:

• to encourage the adoption of land and water policies that provide an effective environment for sustaining water resources, delivering irrigation advisory services;
• to support the member countries in the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM);
• to create an environment in which the youth and women are encouraged, and to empower young professionals to contribute with new innovative skills to the development of the water sector.

This event provided a unique multi-stakeholder platform for the Bank’s Water Sector GP and expanded the Network of Developers with reputable international research agencies and academia involved in irrigation & drainage, agriculture, and construction. It also strengthened knowledge exchange between the Bank and development partners and allowed to engage in issues of interest at the global level. The Forum stimulated multidisciplinary discussions towards sustainable solutions for water management in agriculture through the exchange of latest irrigation and drainage policies, practices, innovations and technologies, exploring private sector involvement for the water sector. To access the Proceedings of WIF3, please click here.