Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, together with civil society organisations, will host the 2nd Mesopotamia Water Forum between 17 and 19 October.

Diyarbakır will host the second edition of the Mesopotamia Water Forum, the first of which was held in Sulaymaniyah in 2019. Convened by the Metropolitan Municipality alongside ecological movements and civil society organisations, the forum will take place at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre between 17 and 19 October.

Water basins on the agenda

Organised by the Metropolitan Municipality’s Department of Climate Change and Zero Waste, the forum will address water and water-related issues in the Mesopotamian Basin. Discussions will focus on a holistic approach to water basins, centred on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which give life to the basin, and the unique character of Lake Van.

Water policy

Based on the principles of the freedom of life, ecological balance, and ecological justice, the Mesopotamia Water Forum advocates a water policy that seeks to transform water from being a tool of domination and control into a founding element of solidarity and peace. At its core, the forum underlines that water resources in Mesopotamia are not only physical assets but also vital entities that carry the historical memory, cultural diversity, and collective ways of life of its peoples.

International participation

With the aim of promoting a water policy grounded in ecological balance and ecological justice, the forum will bring together over 100 representatives of civil society organisations, activists, researchers, journalists, and community representatives from Turkey, Europe, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, all engaged in struggles for the right to water.