22 June 2009
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim's speech at SIWW 09 Opening Ceremony

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Friends

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Singapore, and the official opening ceremony of the Singapore International Water Week 2009.

For many of you who were with us at the inaugural Water Week last year, it is good to see you again. You would recall that the Singapore International Water Week 2008 was an eventful one:

• We gathered a stellar cast of delegates from the public, private and people sectors who engaged in enriching discussions on the governance and policy of integrated water management.

• A total of about $370m worth of business and technology deals were made.

• We launched two think-tanks, the Centre for Liveable Cities and the Institute of Water Policy, the latter of which is a key node of the Knowledge Hubs initiative under the Asia Pacific Water Forum.

• The first Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize was awarded to Dr Andrew Benedek for his pioneering work in the field of low-pressure membrane systems.

A key outcome of the Singapore International Water Week 2008 was the documentation of the thought-provoking discussions and insights at the Water Leaders’ Summit into the Blue Paper. I am happy to share that the Blue Paper was released at the International Water Association’s World Water Congress in Vienna last September. It was very well-received, reflecting the quality of the discourse here.      

The Singapore International Water Week 2009 will build upon last year’s achievements. The focus for the year is “Sustainable Cities – Infrastructure and Technology for Water”, in line with our longer term theme on sustainable water solutions for cities. We will zoom in on not just the science, but also the means to create a viable environment and infrastructure for the realization of these technologies. To synergise the discussions, we have also co-located several key events such as the 7th Ministers’ Forum on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region and the International Water Association’s Leading-Edge Technologies Conference, which are aligned with our theme.

The key staples from the Singapore International Water Week 2008, such as the Water Leaders Summit, Water Convention, Water Expo, Business Forums and the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize remain. This year, in collaboration with the Institute of Water Policy, we have oriented the Water Leaders Summit to focus on practical deliverables which would be used to drive the focus for future Water Weeks. The Water Convention and Water Expo have also grown from strength to strength with over 100 academic papers to be presented and more than 400 participating companies from 26 countries this year. Due to popular demand, we have also increased the number of business forums from 7 to 9, covering more diverse regions around the world. A special forum on "Financing for Water Infrastructure & Technologies” will also be held to address pertinent questions on how the credit crisis has affected the financing of water projects and what business opportunities could emerge from the changing financial landscape.

This year, we also have with us the distinguished Professor Gatze Lettinga, who will be the 2nd recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize. Professor Lettinga has been selected this year for his groundbreaking work in the treatment of used water using anaerobic technology. His innovation enables industrial used water to be purified cost-effectively and produces renewable energy, fertilizers and soil conditioners. I will let Professor Lettinga share more with us through the Singapore Water Lecture tomorrow.

In addition, we will also open a new chapter in Singapore’s water story as we commission our largest water reclamation plant at Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. It will play a key role in Singapore’s efforts towards sustainable water management, and I hope you will join us in witnessing this significant milestone tomorrow evening.

Closing

In short, I look forward to an exciting week of exchanges, and I thank all of you for your presence here despite the challenging times.

Thank you.