Green Cross International: Dialogue on the Issues of Water

On May 31—June 2, 2004, Barcelona, Spain, hosted the forum Dialogue “Water for Life and Security.” Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Green Cross International, addressed the Forum at its closing session. In his address, he reiterated that a worldwide glasnost and a transparent framework of global consultations are needed to resolve water problems.
“The situation is serious, but we still have time to save it,” he pointed out calling for optimism in relation to the serious crisis in water distribution and conservation. He also said that the point is not that “we have been dogged by bad luck. The history has always given us solutions. We have to identify stages and alternative contexts.”
In relation to a transparent system of global consultations President Gorbachev emphasized that it must not only communicate, but ensure that the information is passed from one stakeholder to another and in terms of providing glasnost on a world-wide scale the Forum is very important.
 
The Mayor of Barcelona Mr. Joan Clos, who was also present at the closure of the Forum, thanked Mr. Gorbachev for sharing his ideas and added that “this is about a transparency in regards to public and private policies related to providing the population of the planet with water.”