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Introductory Note to the 5th World Water Forum Framework Agreement

The attached Framework Agreement is the result of three meetings between the Council's 5th Forum ad hoc Committee and a Turkish delegation composed of: Mr. Irfan Aker, DG of Dolsar and Governor of the Council Mrs. Esen Altug, Department Head of Water at the Ministry of Foreign Relations Mr. Hamza Ozguler, DSI Coordinator for WWC Mr. Adem Avni Unal, Head of Foreign Relations for DSI It establishes the principles for the cooperation between the Council and Turkey for the preparation and implementation of the 5th Forum in Istanbul through the mechanism of a Framework Agreement. The nature of this relationship is considerably different than was the case during past Fora. This different relationship, de facto joint-venture, is characterized by: A joint responsibility of the co-organisers over key aspects of the enterprise; A mechanism using joint committees to define and guide the preparation and the implementation of Programmes, of the Political Process and of the Communications of the Forum; Recognition of the concept of an enterprise budget with the funding of direct costs for the Council as well as for the local host; Provision of remuneration to the Council through a "licensing fee" to support the continuing development of the WWC network as well as of the Forum. While at this stage we have broken new ground and secured agreement in key areas, we need to complete the process by developing detailed implementation procedures. These are based on: Three protocols describing the Terms of Reference, responsibilities, budgets and timelines of three joint working groups on Programmes, Political Processes and Communication; One protocol dealing with Finance and Logistics, and; Specific Memorandums of Understanding. The process for developing these documents is already underway, however, they will not all be finalized in time for the next Board meeting. The Agreement presented to the Board in June will describe essential principles for cooperation. A second stage in the Agreement development process will include firm financial commitments from Turkey for the Council, such as an agreement on the licensing fee. While agreement has already been reached on the attached text, discussions are still underway to include a clause stipulating that unless we reach an agreement on the protocols and on the guarantee of a firm financial commitment from Turkey, the Framework Agreement may be cancelled. This clause will be included before the Board meeting in section VI as soon as proper wording has been found.