Ministry of Water & Housing

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Minister of Water and Housing, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang

Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang, leaves the island today (Nov. 22), to attend the Water Forum of the Americas, scheduled to take place from November 24 to 25 in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.

The priority subject for discussion will be global changes, including climate change, increases in population, urbanisation and ground issues.

This forum is in preparation for the World Water Forum (WWF) scheduled to be held in Istanbul, Turkey in March 2009, where Dr. Chang will serve as the region's 'Champion Minister'. The WWF is held every three years as a joint venture between the government of the host country and the World Water Council.

The event aims to raise the importance, awareness and understanding of water issues and propose concrete solutions to address global challenges. Next year's event will be the fifth staging of the WWF, with the first held in Morocco in 1997.

One of the themes for the 2009 forum is 'Bridging Divides for Water'. It is expected that improved dialogue, interaction and co-operation will be achieved among all stakeholders at the local, national, regional and global levels.

As 'Champion Minister' for the region, Dr. Chang is expected to lead advocacy and resource mobilisation efforts for the Caribbean process at the Water Forum of the Americas through to the main event in Istanbul.

Minister Chang will be accompanied by Permanent Secretary, Genefa Hibbert; Chief Technical Director, Heather Pinnock; and Managing Director of the Water Resources Authority (WRA), Basil Fernandez.

He will return to the island on Wednesday, November 26.

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