The 5th World Water Forum opened today in Istanbul, Turkey and will continue through Sunday. This is the main international event as far as freshwater is concerned. The event tries to enable participation and dialogue to influence water policy making at a global level, with the hope of a sustainable development going forward. It is organized every three years by the World Water Council, in collaboration with the host country. The Forum’s main theme this year is called “Bridging divides for water”.

There are opposers to the forum though:

It’s really just a big trade show put on by the big water companies. There is going to be no mention of water as a human right. They don’t want to support that because they see water as a commodity to be sold on the open market. There is mounting evidence that privatization has failed. We believe water should be a public trust.”
– Maude Barlow, founder of the Blue Planet Project, a Canadian-based group dedicated to protecting fresh water.

Wenonah Hauter, of the US-based Food and Water Watch, said, “If the organizers were serious, the delegates would get in free and they also wouldn’t have held it in a city that’s very difficult to get to.”

* UPDATE – See also: Activists Slam World Water Forum as a Corporate-Driven Fraud

“It’s organized to look like a UN-type event but it’s not.”
- Maude Barlow.

Another event today that’s related to water is the International Boston Seafood Show, co-located with Seafood Processing America, it’s North America’s largest seafood exhibition, attracting close to 18,000 seafood buyers and sellers from across the globe.

The keynote speech for the International Boston Seafood Show is coming from Chef Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America fame.

Selling points for the Show include:

1. Meet with seafood suppliers and source new business.
2. Source the largest assortment of seafood, equipment and products.
3. Get a first look at the newest products on the market all in one place.
4. Discover strategies to help you make the most of the current economic conditions.

See also: The Many Ways to Reduce Your Water Use