"There are 100 thousand participants that will attend, 12 state heads, 56 ministers from 172 countries," he said at the "National Stakeholders Forum: 10th World Water Forum First Announcement" here on Friday.
The World Water Forum is the largest international meeting on water that discusses water resource management involving various stakeholders. The forum was initiated by the World Water Council (WWC) and has been held every three years since 1997.
Hadimuljono said that Indonesia is the first Southeast Asian country to be chosen as the WWF host.
According to him, Indonesia will derive many benefits from holding the WWF in Bali, such as gaining knowledge from discussions on water resource management amid the threat of the climate crisis. Knowledge of water management is expected to strengthen Indonesia's mitigation efforts against natural disasters, such as flash floods and landslides.
In addition, Indonesia will also benefit from discussions on the management of water resources to increase food production in order to face a potential global food crisis, he added.
“Mr. President's (Joko Widodo's) message is that we should take all the knowledge about water. This is the biggest festival in water management. Thus, we must take as many benefits as possible regarding water resource management,” he remarked.
The forum can have a significant economic impact and add to the discussion on water science because Indonesia has 5,600 rivers, 7 million hectares of irrigated land, 300 dams, and 3 million swamps that could be developed for food production, the minister expounded.
Aside from positive impacts on water management, Hadimuljono said he is optimistic that the arrival of 100 thousand participants would have a multiplier effect on the economy, especially the tourism and MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprise) sectors in Bali and its surrounding areas.
Indonesia was chosen as the host of the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) during the 9th WWF in Dakar, Senegal, on March 19, 2022, after winning 30 of the total 36 votes from the World Water Council Board of Governors.
The weeklong forum is scheduled to start on June 3, 2024, in Bali.
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Translator: Indra Arief, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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