“Water, Sanitation, Covid-19, Values and the Future of Water” titled webinar organized and presented by
The Light Millennium on March 21, 2021.
Observance of the World Water Day (March 22, A/RES/47/193) and in support of the SDG-6 and SDG-3 
#WWD2021 World Water Day (March 22)
– PROGRAM with the short bios of the Keynote Speakers and Panelists
– Watch Video

Welcoming Remark by Bircan ÜNVER
Founder-President and Head Rep. of The Light Millennium to the
United Nations Department of Global Communications

Welcome to the “Water, Sanitation, Covid-19, Values and the Future of Water” webinar…

I am Bircan Ünver, founder and president of The Light Millennium Organization based in New York.

I’d like to thank to  Korkmaz Can Sağlam for his wonderful piano performance “Boat on the Ocean” by Ravel, in which, we just listened it to inspire you all to begin the webinar.

Korkmaz Can will be with us again with another excerpt by Ravel for the closing.

Now, a brief introduction of the webinar.
We’ve aimed to contribute to the global conversation, making use of World Water Day (March 22) within the framework of the 2021 theme, “Valuing Water” towards a road map to bring ‘systemic change in the way water is valued in policy, practice, finance, management, and behavior and to inspire.

The core of the Webinar is linked to “World Water Day” and “Water and Sanitation” in connection with Sustainable Development Goal 6 along with the Covid-19 pandemic and with ever-increasing the utmost level NEED for safe water, access to water, and basic sanitation within the framework of “Valuing Water” as water is the source of all life on our planet and everything around it, and essential for livelihoods, social and economic activities, culture, recreation and spiritual needs. 

With that, it is my utmost honor and privileged to welcome His Excellency, Mr. RODRIGO A. CARAZO, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations; and currently, Vice-President of UNICEF’s Executive Board.
H.E. Mr. Carazo is going to chair the webinar along with will deliver, a keynote speech from the member state perspective on the given concept:

•  H.E. Mr. TAYE ATSKE-SELASSIE AMDE, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the United Nations; Ethiopia is a member of the Friends of Water at the United Nations;

and;

Prof. OLCAY ÜNVER, Arizona State University (U.S.A.); Vice Chair of UN-Water from 2018 to 2020; and Senior Water Advisor to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; from the field and academic perspectives.

Now, I’d like to Welcome to our esteem panelists, namely:

• Ms. NCHEDI MAPHOKGA-MORIPE, Chief Director for Global Cooperation and Strategic Partnerships in the Department of Water and Sanitation of South Africa.

• Prof. GARY M. GROSSMAN, School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, U.S.A.

• Ms. DIANA ISKREVA, Executive Director, Earth Forever, NGO, Bulgaria.

• Ms. MERCEDES CASTRO, Director and CEO at NGO Agualimpia, Peru.

• Dr. LEVENT DENIS ŞEKEREL,Urologist, Haseki Education Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.

And, Youth Speakers:

• Ms. ROSAIDA DOLCE, Land and Water Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Rome, Italy 

Dr. SISIRA S. WITHANANCHCHI, Senior Researcher Fellow/Project Manager at the University of Kassel, Germany and UNLEASH Ambassador for SDG 6 “Water and Sanitation”. 

We also welcome to our guest Counsellor Mrs. Damla Doğan, Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations.

And, Welcome to the all attendees.
Please kindly post your comments and questions in the Q and A box for the INTERACTIVE SESSION.

Please indicate the speaker’s name, who would you like to ask a question and/or make a comment based on his/her presentation.

Prior handing over the mic to Ambassador Carazo, I’d like to briefly introduce The Light Millennium Organization:

The LM is a non-religious, non-political, not-for-profit (status#501-c-3), non-governmental (NGO), an independent organization. It has become associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (formerly UN Department Public Information) effective on December 12, 2005. Formed in 2001, New York, inspired by the “First Article of the United States Bill of Rights, Freedom of Speech“, in conjunction with the “United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article #19, on “Freedom of Expression“.

The Organization has “Amended & Broadened” its initial 2001 Purposes (Certificate of Incorporation) effective on December 17, 2019, along with, Amended & Restated” its By-Laws. With these legal changes in late 2019, the LM has become both “rights” and “service” based organization.

With that, this webinar is organized and presented by
The Light Millennium;
and
Co-sponsored by
Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations;

Earth Forever (NGO, Bulgaria); and

Agualimpia (NGO, Peru)

Now, it is my utmost privilege to hand over the microphone to Ambassador Rodrigo Carazo:

* * *

KEYNOTE Presentations delivered by:

• H.E. AMBASSADOR RODRIGO A. CARAZO (Chair of the session), Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations; and currently, Vice-President of UNICEF’s Executive Board.

•  H.E. Mr. TAYE ATSKE-SELASSIE AMDE, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the United Nations; Ethiopia is a member of the Friends of Water at the United Nations;

and;

Prof. OLCAY ÜNVER, Arizona State University (U.S.A.); Vice Chair of UN-Water from 2018 to 2020; and Senior Water Advisor to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; from the field and academic perspectives.

Presentations of PANELISTs are available by clicking on each below names:

NCHEDI MORIPE

PROF. GARY M. GROSSMAN

DIANA ISKREVA

MERCEDES CASTRO

Dr. LEVENT DENIS ŞEKEREL

ROSADIA DOLCE

Dr. SISIRA S. WITHANACHCHI

VIDEO

Thanks to the Volunteers and Supporters of the webinar:
Berna GÜRDAL, TWLA; for co-hosting the webinar, provided assistant;
Nevin SARI, TWLA, for providing Zoom training sessions;
Demet DEMİRKAYA, The Light Millennium, for the provided support;
Isa ALEMDAĞ, The Light Millennium, for the provided support; and
Sebahattin DEVECİOĞLU, The Light Millennium, prior, doing and after provided social media outreach supports.
And:
Thanks to Ms. HAWA DIALLO, Chief and her Civil Society Unit Team at the
United Nations Department of Global Communications, for the inclusion of the related flyer in the week of 8th of March and 15th of March of the UNDGC Weekly Civil Society Announcements.

_ . _

About Bircan Ünver:
Ms. Ünver is the independent TV Producer, Originator (1999), Founder-President and Head Representative of the Light Millennium Organization (LM) to the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN-DGC-CSO); also Executive Producer of LMTV; Content Provider at QPTV since 1992; Co-founder of the Turkish Library & Museum’s vision & Ambassador of Peace and Goodwill for Anuvrat (Anuvibha) Global Organization (India); and Member of the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace (GMCoP, an NGO platform at the UN).
She served in several Planning Committees of the UN-Civil Society Conferences (formerly UN-DPI-NGO), and Planning Committee of the High Level Forum on the Culture of Peace (HLF-CoP). Bircan has undertaken LM’s e-publications, public programs, and LMTV Series and Specials’ in its all aspects since January 2000; also its all UN related activity and programs since 2005.
Author of: “En Kutsalı Yaratma” (1995), “Sanatın Labirentlerinde” (2016),“Işık Yollarında” (poetry, 2017) and “Bin Yıl Daha” (2020) in Turkish. Holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree from the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Istanbul, 1988) and a Master’s Degree (M.A.) from Media Studies of the New School University (New York City 1999).
In conjunction to the LM, Bircan currently serves as the Chair of the ATAA Committee on UN Relations and New York Region Vice President of Assembly of Turkish American Associations (based in V.A. USA); and also on the Executive Board of the World Intellectual Forum (based in Hyderabad, India). www.lmglobal.org | www.lightmillennium.org | www.turkishlibrary.us