By building the Citizens’ House for Water in the «Feshane facility», one of the two sites hosting the 5th World Water Forum, the ISW, SWE and their partners offered forum participants an ideal area to come together, discuss issues and share results.

This friendly environment of 375m2 was propitious for exchanges among international development stakeholders.

The CHW and its surrounding «Fountains of Knowledge» area was designed by architecture students from Istanbul’s Mimar Sinan University, Oğuzhan Abbdik and Elif Ertemel. Equipped with a projection/conference room that seated 75 people, interpreting services (English, Turkish and French), meeting areas and exhibition areas, the CHW was a hive of activity throughout the whole Forum.

Seven open conferences were also organised by partners. Between formal sessions, the winning films from the International «Water and Film» Events were screened. 

The themes addressed were:

• Monitoring by the People: The Blue Book, an original and complementary tool..
• MPs Dive In: a prerequisite for sustainable and fair access to water and sanitation.
• Cross-border management of water and citizen’s participation: myth or reality?
• International Citizen-led Cooperation: innovations by young people.
• Financing and decentralized services: putting words into action.
• The response to climate change: when the victims become a source of solutions.
• The worldwide financial crisis and its impacts on funding in international cooperation sector.