KHRP was invited by the New Water Culture Foundation and Foro Mundial in July to present the case of mass displacement caused by the Ilisu Dam project in south-east Turkey at the Zaragoza Expo 2008, which had the theme ‘Water and Sustainability’.

On 3 and 4 July, Development and Outreach Officer Anna Irvin took part in El Faro civil society pavilion at the expo, in which the New Water Culture Foundation and other organisations working on issues relating to water, sustainability and human rights held an exhibition based on 45 case studies illustrating destructive water policies around the world.

Anna also spoke at a parallel event organised by Foro Mundial, which focused on subjects such as mass displacement and the alternatives to building dams. The platform was shared by speakers including: Professor Kader Asmal, former Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry in South Africa and former Chairman of the World Commission on Dams (1997-2001); Patrick McCully, Executive Director of the International Rivers Network; and Robert Epple, President of the European Rivers Network.

The full text of the speech delivered by Anna at the Zaragoza Expo and the Foro Mundial side event is available here.

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