Launch ceremony: International Year of Water Cooperation
11 February 2013 | UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France
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Press kit
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A high-level meeting to kick-off the Year
The International Year of Water Cooperation 2013 was officially launched on 11 February 2013 by Michel Jarraud, Chair of UN-Water and Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of a high-level event taking place at UNESCO Headquarter in Paris, France.
Representatives of governments, local communities, specialized NGOs and UN organizations joined eminent specialists and youths to discuss:
- The contribution of water cooperation to the Post-2015 Development Agenda so as to effectively address the needs of all societies,
- Ways to harness cooperation at all levels to address water-related challenges, including:
- Regional cooperative mechanisms
- Government action at the national level
- Action at the local level
- Cooperation at the basin level, and
- Science, capacity building and partnerships.
Official slogan announced
The official slogan for the Year was revealed during the ceremony as the winner of the slogan contest Ms Megha Kumar from India announced her slogan: "Water, Water Everywhere, Only if We Share".
The slogan was selected among 12,151 proposals sent by 5,654 people from 180 countries!
A Youth Declaration on Water Cooperation
Youth held their own meeting at the Pavillon de l'eau of Paris to finalize a Youth Declaration on water cooperation, which they presented to the participants of the high-level meeting.
Children and youth also participated actively in the launch of the Year with their own parallel events and a series of water-related activities at UNESCO headquarters.
The celebration also included an exhibition and other cultural activities organized in partnership with the Mairie de Paris.