International Conference of Aquapolises

Outcome of the 5th ICAP

The 5th International Conference of Aquapolises (ICAP) was held on a grand scale in Busan Metropolitan City, Korea, from May 21 - 23, 2008. Under the main theme, "For a Sustainable Aquapolis," conference participants, including mayors and representatives of administrative authorities from 41 aquapolises in 16 countries and regions, had active discussions in the Plenary Session and in the Expert Session, comprising four parallel sessions. The results were compiled into the Busan Declaration adopted in the Summary Plenary Session.

Overview of the 5th ICAP

	Host city:	Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea
	Date:	May 21 - 23, 2008
	Main theme:	For a Sustainable Aquapolis
	Participants:	41 aquapolises in 15 countries and regions (approx. 150 delegates)
	Venue:	Nurimaru APEC House, BEXCO

Nurimaru APEC House BEXCO

Main Program

Date		Date	Outline	Venue
May 21	Afternoon	Opening Ceremony	- Opening remarks by the mayor of Busan Metropolitan City (host city) - Congratulatory addresses by the mayor of Osaka (directorial city) and chairperson of Busan Metropolitan City Council - Keynote speech by a university professor	Nurimaru APEC House
May 21	Afternoon	Plenary Session	- Presentations by mayors and other representatives of 20 aquapolises with regard to respective aquapolises' initiatives regarding water and greenery	Nurimaru APEC House
May 22	Morning	Expert Session	- Four topical sessions, in each of which experts from participating aquapolises gave presentations and exchanged opinions and information about related initiatives	BEXCO(Busan Exhibition & Convention Center)
	Afternoon	Summary Plenary Session	- Briefings on the conclusions of the Plenary Session and experts' sessions, given by respective chairpersons - Adoption of the Busan Declaration based on these conclusions
	Afternoon	Closing Ceremony	- Announcement of the Busan Declaration and closing remarks by the mayor of Busan Metropolitan City (host city)

(Final program of the 5th ICAP)
Please click here to view the final program distributed during the conference.

Session Outline

(1)Plenary Session
In the Plenary Session, delegates from 20 aquapolises around the world, including those from Hamburg, Vienna, Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City and State of Illinois, delivered keynote presentations about the challenges that respective aquapolises had been faced with in the area of water and greenery and how they had striven to overcome them.

Plenary Session (Nurimaru APEC House)

(2)Expert Session
The Expert Session was divided into four parallel sessions with specific themes. In each session, experts from participating aquapolises gave presentations and exchanged opinions regarding a range of challenges, specific measures and technologies for urban development promoted in respective aquapolises.

Session 1: Development of a city through the use of its water and greenery

Experts from nine aquapolises, including Los Angeles (the U.S.), Ulsan (Korea) and Kitakyushu (Japan), introduced a number of examples showing how these aquapolises had been developed through the effective use of water and greenery in rivers, lakes and ports.

Expert Session (BEXCO)

Session 2: Water Transportation & Urban Development

Experts from five aquapolises, including Seoul (Korea) and Kaohsiung (Taiwan), gave presentations in this session. It was recognized that inland water transportation, river dredging and an improved waterfront environment are conducive to enhancing quality of life and competitiveness of each city.

Session 3: Eco-friendly Environment around Urban Streams

Experts from seven aquapolises, including Shanghai (China) and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (Korea), introduced examples of a variety of development projects that took ecosystems around urban streams into consideration by recycling industrial effluent, improving combined sewer systems, and conserving and restoring wetlands in river basins.

Session 4: Weather Disasters & Water Resource Management

Experts from eight aquapolises, including San Bernardino (the U.S.), Belgrade (Serbia) and Fukuoka (Japan), introduced examples of comprehensive flood control measures taken by the entire basin areas, and those of sewerage technologies to help to achieve a recycling-oriented society. As for water resource management, participating experts gave presentations and exchanged opinions on water source development topics, such as development of dams and seawater desalination plants; water-saving measures; reforestation etc.

(3)Summary Plenary Session

-	Chairpersons of the Plenary Session and experts' sessions gave briefings on the conclusions of respective sessions.
-	Subsequently, to enable aquapolises around the world to share the valuable opinions and information presented in this conference and thus promote collaborative efforts to achieve eco-friendly urban development, the Busan Declaration (see below) was adopted.

(Busan Declaration)
Click the link below for the text of the Busan Declaration.

» Busan Declaration

Summary Plenary Session (BEXCO) Announcement of the Busan Declaration

Participating Cities etc.

Cities/regions whose mayors, governors or other delegates attended

	Nation	City/Region
1	Korea	Busan Metropolitan City
2	Korea	Gyeongsangnam-do
3	Korea	Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do
4	Korea	Ulsan
5	Democratic Republic of the Congo	North Kivu
6	Democratic Republic of the Congo	South Kivu
7	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Uvira
8	Tanzania	Kagera
9	Tanzania	Musoma
10	Tanzania	Mwanza Region
11	Turkey	Golbaj
12	UAE	Dubai
13	Japan	Kitakyushu
14	Japan	Niigata
15	Japan	Shimonoseki
16	Japan	Osaka

Cities/regions whose deputy mayors/governors or other delegates attended

	Nation	City/Region
1	Korea	Jeju Special Self-Governing Province
2	Korea	Seoul
3	China	Guangzhou
4	China	Lianyungang
5	Taiwan	Kaohsiung
6	USA	State of Illinois
7	Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City
8	Japan	Fukuoka

Cities/regions whose experts or other delegates attended

	Nation	City/Region
1	Austria	Vienna
2	China	Beijing
3	China	Guilin
4	China	Shanghai
5	China	Zunyi
6	Germany	Hamburg
7	India	Gujarat
8	Russia	Saint Petersburg
9	Serbia	Belgrade
10	Turkey	Istanbul
11	USA	Los Angeles
12	USA	San Bernardino
13	Japan	Fukuoka Prefecture
14	Japan	Nagasaki Prefecture
15	Japan	Saga Prefecture
16	Japan	Tokyo
17	Japan	Yamaguchi Prefecture