The Fifth World Water Forum kicked off on Monday in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul with the theme of "Bridging Divides for Water" aimed to facilitate solutions to the world's water problems and promote cooperation among states and organizations.

The future of vital water resources "does not only rest on technological progress, but also and mostly on political commitments," President of the World Water Council Loic Fauchon said during the opening ceremony.

He called all policy makers and international decision-makers to shoulder responsibility of the sustainable development of water.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul also attended the ceremony.

The 5th edition of World Water Forum, the main water-related event in the world, is scheduled for March 16 to 22, attracting a record of 30,000 participants all over the world, including 25 heads of state, some 180 ministers and UN representatives.

The forum, which meets every three years, was first launched by the World Water Council (WWC) in 1997 with four main purposes, namely raising the importance of water on the political agenda, supporting the discussions towards the solution of international water issues in the 21st century, formulating concrete proposals and generating political commitment.