Main Site: Kyoto Prefecture
Sub-sites: Osaka and Shiga Prefectures

Home to a number of world cultural heritage sites, and with a deep relationship with water, Kyoto developed into a symbol of Japan as an elegant capital city in the Heian Period. Water was directed to Kyoto through a canal from Lake Biwa built as far back as the Meiji Period, and it is known as the home of the first water-powered electric power plant built in Japan. Thus, even today, we can see the footprints left by water as the city developed.     Kyoto will not, however, be the only locale for the 3rd World Water Forum. The basin-wide format for hosting the Forum is unique and intentionally symbolic. Kyoto, Osaka, and Shiga Prefectures all share the water resources of the Lake Biwa - Yodo River basin, and their cooperation in hosting the Forum symbolizes a basin-wide cooperation, which is so often, throughout the world, necessary for finding solutions to water-related issues.

• This forum will be open to all.
  
• This forum will evolve from being based on participation to being created through participation.
  
• This forum will work to translate visions into concrete actions.

The primary concern of the 3rd World Water Forum is to provide the opportunity for discussions on water-related issues to anyone interested, of both domestic or foreign origin, as well as to encourage participation by as many people as possible, and thus raise the level of consciousness in regard to these issues, on a global scale. In order to promote sharing of knowledge and experience gained by dealing with water-related issues around the world, a variety of forums will be specified, and rather than discussion for discussion's sake alone, the purpose here will be to discuss concrete solutions to a variety of water-related issues in sites located around the world, in the hope that this will lead to further solutions to water-related issues on a global scale.

The 3rd World Water Forum will be composed of the following three main elements:

	This forum will provide the opportunity for a variety of people dealing with water-related issues, such as policy makers, academic experts, technology experts, people from private industries, and those from nongovernmental organizations (NGO), to meet under one roof and discuss solutions to future water-related issues.
	Ministers dealing with water-related issues will attend this conference and discuss the global water crisis, working towards the framing and adoption of a political declaration concerning water-related issues, with a strong emphasis on a sustained commitment to action.
	The Water Fair/Festival, consisting of a series of water-related events, will be organized to take place before, and during, the period of the 3rd World Water Forum to raise awareness and interest among the general public. The intention here is to achieve a raised level of motivation for concrete action directed towards the achievement of solutions for water-related issues.

    These three elements will have a synergetic effect, and with an attendance that goes beyond the boundaries of local regions, fields of specialty, or social position, the Forum will produce meaningful discussions and produce concrete results.