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12. Closing Plenary Watch Video Connection Speed: High Speed Low Speed    Event Title : Water Week 2009 Date : 2/19/2009 Duration : 58 minutes Language  : English Country/Region : World Keyword :  Water Resources Management  Water Supply and Sanitation  Sustainable Development Presenter : John  Briscoe Abel Mejia Jamal Saghir Rogerio Studart | Related Material | Recommendations |Related B-SPAN Videos |  DESCRIPTION  Washington D.C.—On February 17, 2009, the World Bank presented Water Week 2009, an annual event featuring three days of panel discussions and lectures from various sectors. The discussions covered a variety of issues, from the impact of the financial crisis on water development to the affects of the food price crisis in low income countries. The event was a collaborative effort between the Water Anchor and the Water Sector Board. This year’s Water Week events enabled participants to exchange experiences and knowledge in helping the World Bank achieve solutions to clients most affected by the water crisis. The Closing Plenary of Water Week 2009 took place on Thursday, February 19, 2009. Water Anchor Sector Manager Abel Mejia presented an overview of the event’s seminars and discussions, which ranged from examining the World Bank strategy to support safety nets and reduce policy costs to investment lending policy reform in effort to handle needs of Bank clients more effectively. Water Week 2009 gathered over 500 participants from client countries, international organizations and water specialists from foreign governments. As Mejia concluded, “we must insist on powerful incentives that market us [the World Bank] and think beyond the ideological debate that has marked us in the past.” World Bank Executive Director for Brazil Rogerio Studart introduced John Briscoe, former St. Water Advisor of the World Bank who spoke about his trajectory at the World Bank. Briscoe posed the question, what constitutes a secure water economy, and what risks does water management face? He delved into this question using climate change and the financial crisis as examples. Closing the session was Jamal Saghir, Director of the Water Anchor of the World Bank who stressed the importance of studying global water issues in a non-traditional way, taking a multi-sectorial approach. Continuous learning is the key in understanding the World Bank’s future clients, he added. Water Week 2009 concluded February 19, 2009.  RELATED MATERIALS   Water Week 2009: Tackling Global Water Challenges Related World Bank and Other Links: Water Supply and Sanitation Water Resources and Management Related B-SPAN Events: Water Week 2005 Water Week 2007 RELATED B-SPAN EVENTS Water Resources Management (33) Water Supply and Sanitation (31) Sustainable Development (77)