Water: Italy To Propose G8 - Africa Alliance

Two African youths collect water from a river


Ahead of the G8 Summit on the island of La Maddalena in July, the Italian G8 Presidency is working on a proposal to set up an alliance between the G8 and Africa to address the issue of the availability and certainty of water in the world, according to an announcement made by Minister Plenipotentiary Giorgio Sfara, who led a Foreign Ministry delegation to the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul.

An alliance between the G8 and Africa can foster the right conditions for guaranteeing certainty in water supplies to countries at risk, while also putting in place consultation mechanisms at the institutional, technical and professional level (which already exist, Sfara pointed out) in an effort to come up with more rational solutions for the use of what is fast becoming a scarce resource.

According to Sfara, the G8 and Africa's combined political clout can kick-start this new process.  Water is a crucial factor in any blueprint for development, the minister stressed, especially in the world's poorer countries.

Italy is attending the Istanbul forum not only at the institutional level but also with companies that operate in the water industry and that are providing advanced technological support.