Tórshavnar kommuna: Í hesum døgum er stór altjóða vatnráðstevna í Havn. Tað er Jarðfeingi, ið skipar fyri. Móttøka var í Múllers pakkhúsi í gjár, har Kristianna Winther Poulsen, býráðslimur helt røðu.

Nógv fólk var komið saman til móttøkuna. Her er brot úr røðuni hjá Kristionnu Winther Poulsen, býráðslimi:

"Fresh water and islands. Most certainly a crucial topic to deal with and to discuss.

A natural resource which we seem to have in abundance here in the Faroe Islands. Or so we believe, which may be why we do not always fully appreciate it. This August, for instance, we experienced unusually heavy rainfall. The last time we encountered such intense rain in August was back in 2011, 13 years ago.

Whether these patterns result from climate change is a question that you, as researchers, are far better equipped to answer than I am.

In the Faroe Islands, we are fortunate enough to drink water directly from the tap. Even when we venture into the mountains, we can safely drink from the streams. We harness water to generate electricity and also use it to heat our homes through geothermal energy. In Faroese, we refer to it as "jarðhiti," meaning ground heating, although its source is water.

But do we truly understand the water resources in the Faroe Islands? Likely not. That is what makes this conference so significant, and I am eager to learn from the insights you will share – both from Faroese experiences and international perspectives.

Water is fundamental to all life – to humans, animals, and nature alike. Therefore, we must cherish it and safeguard it.

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And huge congratulations to the organizers of the conference. The impressive programme with participants from so many countries and even continents tells me that this must have been quite an effort. So to the International Water Resources Association and to Jarðfeingi – we thank you for choosing Tórshavn as the host city for this impressive and important event. 

On behalf of Tórshavn Municipality, I thank you for the opportunity to welcome you.

We wish you a good and fruitful conference in Tórshavn!

Gerið so væl, as we say in Faroese."