2017 World Water Cities Forum Summary
By Amy Jensen, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operations Officer
In September 2017, I had the honor of representing both The Water Council and the City of Milwaukee at the 2017 World Water Cities Forum (WWCF) held in Gyeongju City, South Korea. The forum, hosted by Mayor Kwon Young-jin of Daegu Metropolitan City, included 300 representatives and water professionals from 11 cities and 3 international water organizations. At the same time, Gyeongju City was the gathering place of not only the WWCF, but also the activities of the Korea International Water Week and the 1st Asia International Water Week.
During the Forum, a signing ceremony was held to finalize the Sister City Agreement between Milwaukee and Daegu Metropolitan City, South Korea. In addition, The Water Council also signed the World Water Cities Cooperation Declaration, an agreement signed by representatives of 10 cities around the world to confirm the commitment to enhance and expand cooperation between cities for the sharing of ideas, information, and solutions that may ensure more stable supplies of water resources throughout the world.
In early October, following my return to Milwaukee, a delegation from Daegu traveled to Milwaukee from Chicago where they had attended the Water Environment Federation’ Annual Technical Exhibition (WEFTEC). Daegu Metropolitan City Vice Mayor Kim YonChang met with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett at City Hall and then the group toured the Global Water Center. The group had the opportunity to meet with a number of our companies including Stonehouse Water Technology, Solar Water Works, and Stormwater Solutions Engineering.
