The Club of Tokyo is an informal group of some of the most influential water and development experts of the world, who because of their technical and intellectual capabilities and their very senior positions, can influence and informally give a direction to the global discussions and agenda on water. Sixteen leading international experts on water and development issues and very senior policy-makers were invited to join this exclusive Club. The members were selected following a peer group survey, and the simple criteria used to identify the members were that they were considered to the most influential by their peer group. No consideration was given in the selection process as to their country of origin, or residence, or gender.

The co-chairs of the Club are Prof. Asit K. Biswas (Mexico) and Dr. Kazuo Takahashi (Japan). The members and their current residences are Dr. Mahmoud Abu-Zeid (Egypt), Dr. Mohamed Ait Kadi (Morocco), Dr. Benedito P. F. Braga (Brazil), Prof. Malin Falkenmark (Sweden), Dr. Torkil Jonch-Clausen (Denmark), Dr. Aalt Leusink (the Netherlands), Dr. John Pigram (Australia), Dr. Ismail Serageldin (Egypt), Dr. Aly Shady (Canada), Prof. Yutaka Takahasi (Japan), Dr. Olcay Unver (Turkey), Mr. Jay Narayan Vyas (India), Prof. John Waterbury (Lebanon) and Prof. Gilbert White (U.S.A).

All the members were invited to join the Club in their personal capacities. Accordingly, the Club is totally independent, and is NOT affiliated to any institution or association.

The Club of Tokyo is supported by the Centre for Global Partnership of the Japan Foundation. Since the first meeting of the Club was held in Tokyo, 25-27 September, it was called the Club of Tokyo. The Third World Centre for Water Management and the International Development Centre of Japan are its current sponsors, and the Centre acts as its Secretariat. The Club members meet once a year, without any specific agenda, to discuss and review global water issues.

The FIRST MEETING of the Club focused on what the members consider are the most important water and water-related issues of the world, and what steps can be taken to resolve them cost-effectively in a timely manner. During this meeting, its members raised certain priority water issues. Not surprisingly, the topics covered a wide spectrum of issues which are not only topical, but also would be of direct interest to water professionals all over the world. The background papers prepared by the various members, on which the discussion in Tokyo was based, are available in the special thematic issue of the International Journal of Water Resources Development, December, 2001. Abstracts of the papers are available in the Centre's Website.

The SECOND MEETING of the Club was held in Aswan, Egypt, 5-8 November 2001, which included a field visit to the Toshka Development Project.

The THIRD MEETING of the Club was held in Alexandria, Egypt, 7-8 August, 2002. Based on this meeting, Oxford University Press has published a book entitled Appraising Sustainable Development: Water Management and Environmental Challenges. For more information visit our Publications Section.

The first phase of the Club of Tokyo has now been successfully completed. The Centre is now discussing with the sponsor the second phase of additional three years.