Our Uniting Water Ceremony

Our Uniting Water

This is how I remember the first Our Uniting Water Ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall 1990
Light faded in the auditorium. Silence fell. A tiny, searching ray of light caught the audience. The light reached the spherical crystal bowl seemingly hanging free in he air. Shadows moved towards the bowl, stopped and moved again. Slowly the ice became visible hidden in the steam. The shadows were children coming together. They held cups of water in their hands. One after the other they came up to the crystal bowl shaped as a dewdrop. You could hear the purling when the children poured their water into the bowl.

Our Uniting Water invites children to share their concern for water – with one another and decision makers of the world. – Without water there is no life on Earth. Today the Crystal Bowl contains water from all nations of the world.

Local Water Ceremonies
Our Uniting Water has been the start of environmental programs and projects in schools and for the whole municipality. Children who have roots in other countries bring water from their home land and tell about the water situation – similarities and differences. The Ceremony inspire young and old to talk together of what is important in Life.

– My water come from Brazil. My dad lives there. The water is very polluted.

– My water come from Halsingland. We live there in the summer and have fun in the lake.

– My water come from a sacred well in Bona, Bali.

– My water come from Dandora in Kenya. The pollution comes from the dump site.

– My water come from Homa Bay in Lake Victoria.  It’s too dangerous to swim there.

gt-1998-kofi-annan-482pix

A few adults have been invited to give water to the children’s crystal bowl;
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan took water from the fountain outside the UN Head Quarters in New York for Our Uniting Water Ceremony at the Globe Arena in Stockholm 1998.
Astronauts and cosmonauts were the children’s guests of honour at the Future Vessel Event in Stockholm and brought water that has been in orbit in space.

Our Uniting Water – main events

1990
Future Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden
Action for Our Common Future, Bergen, Norway
World Environment Day, Mexico City, Mexico
Safe Water 2000, New Delhi, India
The Children’s Summit, New York, USA
IDEA Award Ceremony, Stockholm, Sweden

1991
International Schools Association, Sigtuna, Sweden
Stockholm Water Symposium, Stockholm, Sweden
International Day for Peace, Hilversum, The Netherlands

1992
UN Conference on Water and the Environment, Dublin, Ireland
UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Future Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden
ICID Conference, Budapest, Hungary

1993
Mälarforum, Stockholm, Sweden
National Seminar on Indigenous Knowledge, New Delhi, India
Agenda 21 – the Right to Live, Tollaren, Sweden

1994
International Ministerial Meeting on Drinking Water and Sanitation, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Grow Your Own School, Homa Bay, Kenya
International Baccalaureate Conference, Bali, Indonesia

1995
YouthCan, New York, USA
I*EARN, Melbourne, Australia
UNEP´s Youth Forum1995, Berkeley, USA
UN 50 celebration, Stockholm, Sweden

1996
Our Uniting Water on Internet – at Globetree’s Future Meeting, Palladium, Stockholm, Sweden

1998
Expo 98, World Exhibition – Swedish pavilion, Lisbon, Sweden
Future Vessel, Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
Water from space carried by astronauts and cosmonauts as well as water from General Secretary Mr.Kofi A. Annan were united in the crystal bowl.

2000
The Millenium Night – Our Uniting Water handed to His Majesty the King of Sweden, as the first gift of the Millenium
The Second World Water Forum and Ministerial Meeting, The Hague, The Netherlands
Global Environment, Youth Convent, IIIEE in Lund – Guest of Honour, His Majesty the King of Sweden

Our Uniting Water – main events

2001
18th Session of the Commission on Human Settlements, UNCHS (Habitat) Nairobi, Kenya
Future Vessel Göteborg – all city districts join; Göteborg, Sweden
Sustainable Development – Forum for Partnership, Malmö, Sweden
Inaugaration of Childrens Meeting Place at UN grounds, Nairobi, Kenya

2002
Future Vesssel ”Roots & Space”, Cooperation with Stockholm 750years.
WSSD 2002, Inauguration Children’s meeting Place, Openheimer Park, Soweto, Johannisburg
Inauguration Children’s Meeting Place in Värmdö and Borlänge, Sweden

2003
Inauguration Children’s Meeting Place in Mwanza, Tanzania; Kisumu, Kenya;
Busia, Entebbe, Kampala, Mukono in Uganda;
Sundsvall, Sweden

2004
Roots Meeting and 7 Stones Ceremony, at UN, Nairobi, Kenya
Inauguration Children’s Meeting places in Strängnäs, Sweden
Our Uniting Water Ceremony in Skärholmen, City district in Stockholm, Sweden

2005
UN Nairobi, Kenya, Children’s Meeting Place
Stockholm Water Week, Children’s Water Way
Inauguration Children’s Meeting Place in Kalmar, Sweden

2006
Inauguration 1st World Championship in Cooperation, Stockholm, Sweden
Inauguration Children’s Meeting Place, Stockholm;
Vimmerby, Sweden
UN Nairobi, Kenya, Children’s Meeting Place

2007
Inauguration UNEP Governing Council Meeting
Children’s Meeting Place, UN Nairobi, Kenya

2008
Inauguration Children’s Meeting Place at European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
Inauguration Children’s Meeting Place, Kalix, Sweden
Inauguration 2nd World Championship in Cooperation, Kampala, Uganda

Inlägget finns också på: svSwedish

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