Loic Fauchon, president of the World Water Council (WWC), addresses the opening ceremony of the Fifth World Water Forum in Istanbul of Turkey, March 16, 2009. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

March 16, 2009 --- The Fifth World Water Forum began Monday in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul with the theme of "Bridging Divides for Water," aimed to facilitate solutions to the world's water problems and promote cooperation among states and organizations.

The future of vital water resources "does not only rest on technological progress, but also and mostly on political commitments," said Loic Fauchon, president of the World Water Council (WWC) during the opening ceremony.

He called on all policy-makers and international decision-makers to shoulder responsibility of the sustainable development of water.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, Crown Prince Willem Alexander of the Netherlands, Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Han Seung-Soo are among guests of the opening ceremony.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul is expected to deliver a speech at the ceremony.

A high-profile Heads of State and Government Summit is to be held Monday afternoon to appeal for concrete action of governments around the world to highlight the water resources and the role it plays in development and society.

The 5th edition of World Water Forum, the main water-related event in the world, is scheduled for March 16 to 22, attracting a record of 25,000 participants all over the world, including 25 heads of state and government, some 180 ministers and UN representatives.

The forum, which meets every three years, was launched by WWC in 1997 with four main purposes of raising the importance of water on the political agenda; supporting the discussions towards the solution of international water issues in the 21st century; formulating concrete proposals; and generating political commitment.

(Source: Xinhua)