During the various workshops and breakout sessions, participants had an opportunity to listen to presentations and participate in discussions on a wide range of general topics– water efficiency and effectiveness, balancing technical and social concerns, education and public outreach, feminization and water security, and human rights issues.

The real heart of the conference, however, was likely for most to be the networking going on during the coffee breaks, receptions and lunch meetings that allowed participants the opportunity to network among themselves, to share stories and swap business cards.

By the end of the week when the Symposium was in wrap-up mode, an interesting theme emerged: that for many attendees, the huge water challenges facing the world today are less an issue of technical know-how and research and more an human relations concern.

Many people were expressing some variation on the question of how do we work with people in a inclusive, compassionate way that can honor the unique social, cultural and political context of each situation while not losing sight of the technical and scientific realities involved. In short, what are the ways of communicating about water and its worth?