Gundars Bojars
Chairman of the Riga City Council

Welcome to Riga!

         Already for the second year in a row, the international Riga Forum will be calling the audience for a dialogue on further development of the contemporary urban environment. This year, the focal point of the discussion is creation of such an urban environment, wherein both, citizens and the environment, would gain and be in a mutualharmony.

Riga is often called the "blue-green" city combining the green resources of its parks and squares and the water surfaces, which make more than 54 percent of the city. The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) has entrusted the City of Riga the highly honourable task as to lead the Central and Eastern European Water Campaign. 

The world experience proves that the water quality and the quantity impose the most direct influence upon development of any society, its health, social and economic growth. Therefore the main attention this year in Riga shall be focussed on preservation, efficient use and management of the city water resources.

Rapid changes and growth characterise any modern city. We are living with the vision of the future in mind, and what the future urban environment will look like is at a great extent depending from us - that is our responsibility and ability to see the perspective already  today.

I would like to wish all the participants of the Riga Forum creative work!

Gino Van Begin
Regional Director for Europe, ICLEI

Welcome to "Central and Eastern European Water Forum"!

At the ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) World Congress in Dessau, in 2000, ICLEI Members initiated the ICLEI Water Campaign to address the need for sound water management approaches as a core contribution to sustainable development. The importance of the issue was further supported at the WSSD in Johannesburg where ICLEI facilitated the Local Government Summit.

Therefore, we are extremely pleased to support the efforts undertaken by our member, the City of Riga, to initiate and organise this Central and Eastern European (CEE) Water Forum which we also consider as a support to the activities of ICLEI's Water Campaign.

Looking forward to fruitful exchanges with all participants of the Water Forum.