Past History

• 1990 Osaka (JAPAN), 1st conference
       In July 1990, the First International Conference was held in Osaka, which was in that year celebrating the 100th anniversary of its municipal inauguration. Osaka proposed and planned this new international conference, which was held over three days starting on July 26, 1990. Thirty-two cities (including six in Japan) participated in the conference. The Osaka Declaration, which was adopted at the end of the conference, states the necessity to share the ways and means cities have adopted in tackling issues related to water, reconfirms the role of the waterfront not simply for the purpose of urban regeneration but also for helping to enrich the quality of human life, and recognizes the key role to be played by the amenity created through greenery in the development of the city of tomorrow.
       In order for the International Conference of Aquapolises to take a leading role in programs for the conservation and improvement of the global environment, the conference must continue to be held. To this end, eight cities were selected to become directorial cities. The Rivers and Canals Department of the Public Works Bureau of the Osaka Municipal Government agreed to serve as the Secretariat.
  
  
• 1993 Shanghai (People's Republic of China), 2nd conference
       The Second International Conference was held in Shanghai between November 17 and 19, 1993. Twenty-eight cities from twenty-two countries and one international body took part. The Mayors and Experts Joint Conference and the Experts Conference were held. Discussions ranged over many topics, namely, protection of water resources, sewage treatment technology, new approaches to urban planning and harbor construction, correlation between economic growth and environmental protection, greenery creation and ecosystems, and prevention of natural disasters.
  
  
• 1997 Piraeus (Hellenic Republic), 3rd conference
       The Third International Conference of Aquapolises was held in Piraeus, Greece, between March 20 and 22, 1997. Representatives of twenty-two cities from eleven countries took part in the conference. The venue, the cruise ship "Orpheus", created a relaxed and homelike atmosphere, as participants ate and slept on board. The Experts Conference was divided into two working groups, hearing presentations and holding discussions on each city's programs in areas including conservation of water resources and greenery, countermeasures against flooding, and port development. The Directorial Cities Conference endorsed the holding of the Fourth International Conference in the year 2000 in Vienna, a city which has played host to various international conferences through its history.
  
  
• 2003 Osaka (JAPAN), 4th conference