Land & Water

FAO at the 9th World Water Forum

The World Water Forum is the world's largest event on water taking place every three years. It brings together participants from all levels and areas, including government agencies, multilateral institutions, academia, civil society and the private sector, and provides a unique platform where the international water community and key decision makers can meet to make long-term progress on global water challenges.

As always, the World Water Day ceremony is embedded in the World Water Forum programme.

FAO is a strategic partner of the 9th World Water Forum that will take place in Dakar from 21 to 26 March 2022. FAO co-leads on the theme of Rural Development and will organize high-level panels and technical sessions while contributing to a series of ordinary sessions and keystone roundtables.

Join us at the Forum to celebrate World Water Day and to contribute to strengthening our joint efforts to respond to the water challenges of our time to build a better future!


Monday 21 March 2022


14:00-15:30 (GMT)

Special Session 25 - Water security approach in Senegal

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The objective of this panel coordinated by the Ministry of Water and Sanitation of Senegal, is allow participants to discuss the challenges and issues related to water security in Senegal and to formulate concrete recommendations for a better integration of the water security approach in policies, strategies and programmes.


Tuesday 22 March 2022


8:00-9:00 (GMT)

Plenary - UN Water World Water Day & Launch of the World Water Development Report on Groundwater


9:00 – 10:30 (GMT)

High Level Panel 17 - Policy dialogues in water scarce countries for achieving SDGs

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This session will comprise a plenary session to discuss the Cairo Water Week 2021 conclusions on the issue with more insights regarding national and regional water challenges facing the water scarce countries, and to define key action areas and potential cooperation. It will also propose a guideline for the Cairo Water Week 2022 final conclusions that will contribute to support policy recommendations, and to enhance the implementation of water-related SDGs as an essential contribution to the 2023 UN Mid-term Review Conference.


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

Special Session 4 - Making invisible visible: Groundwater Catalogue for informed policy development and management interventions

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This session, coordinated by the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC), is about strengthening science-policy-practice interface using the newly developed catalogue to facilitate this process. The objective of the session is to actively involve groundwater policy and decision makers in development and verification of the catalogue. The session will provide inputs for further developments of the catalogue, as an innovative, collaborative tool for a better provision of essential groundwater policy and management information.


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

VIRTUAL High Level Panel 9 - The state of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture 2021 (SOLAW 2021)

REGISTER HERE

Water, land and soil resources are the sources of life, without which there is no agriculture. With more than 95% of the food produced on land an soil and the immediate and visible impact of drought on crop production, the good state of these crucial natural resources should be everyone's priority. In 2011, FAO published its first comprehensive report on the status of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture (SOLAW 2011). This new edition of SOLAW updates the previous status of the resources, review the trends and explores the new emerging global processes. The objective of this session, coordinated by FAO, is to raise awareness about the status of land and water resources and provide high level profiles with key data to meet the challenges of sustainable use and governance of these natural resources, their greater integration in food systems and climate change.

Agenda:

Agenda:

10:45-10:55 (GMT)

Welcome and introduction 

10:55-11:00

Video animation on “The state of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture 2021”

11:00-11:15

Keynote address “Presentation of SOLAW 2021: main findings and recommendations”, Ms Sasha Koo-Oshima, Deputy Director, Land and Water Division, FAO 

11:15-12:05

High Level Panel on the momentum for land and water safekeeping - moderated by Patricia Mejias-Moreno, Water Officer of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Land and Water Division: 

  • Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Chair, UN-Water (video message)
  • H.E. Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, UAE (video message)
  • H.E. Mr Moussa Baldé, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment of Senegal (MAER) (tbc)
  • Ms Akica Bahri, Advisor to the Chief of Government in charge of water and agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture of Tunisia, SOLAW independant Advisory Committee
  • Pieter Waalewijn, Senior Water Resources Management and Irrigation Specialist, World Bank

12:05-12:15

Key messages and Conclusion


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 3A4 - Providing water information to decision makers at national, regional levels and to water users at local level

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Implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) - a process connecting environment preservation and improvement of social and economic conditions of communities at all levels - requests to relay on sciences based knowledge and information. Information plays a key role to involve local stakeholders in participative approach, and also at national level to make decision. Information and Communication technologies, remote sensing, water monitoring of watersheds, networking bringing scientific outcomes to stakeholders, toolbox, etc., all these are crucial to improve and strengthen IWRM at all levels. Various projects of implemented studies will be shared in two parts in the frame of this session, coordinated by UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) and Danone Waters, one dedicated to stakeholders inclusion to IWRM at all levels, and the second one from international network on hydrology to technical information as well as from remote sensing to modeling and forecasting.


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 2F3 - Towards action: maximize the inclusion of youth, migrants and women into rural development and mitigate the water related root-causes of migration

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The objective of this session is to promote water resource management experiences and initiatives in rural areas, implemented in climatic contexts characterized by frequent water scarcity, possible root-cause of migratory phenomena, both internal (from rural to urban) and to neighboring countries. The experiences and initiatives presented during this session, financed and/or implemented by governmental organizations (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo sviluppo - AICS), United Nations (Food and Agriculture Organization - FAO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and non-governmental organizations (among others, Caritas and "Association France et Maroc au Coeur" - AFEMAC), allow to become acquainted with field activities and with the main stakeholders involved. Special focus will be given to the inclusion of youth, potential migrants and women into agriculture and rural development activities, with a particular attention paid to agricultural water management.


13:30 – 15:00 (GMT)

High Level Panel 8 - Charting water for COP 27

Due to facilities issues on the ground, the event will be held only on-site in Dakar (Room 10 of the Expo area).

The session, coordinated by FAO, will focus on the political commitment to clearly include water in the COP27 negotiation and recognize its pivotal role and contribution to both adapt and mitigate to global climate change. A major goal of the session is to bring water management scientific knowledge and advances closer to public policies formulation and decision-making. In addition to sharing knowledge, there is the ambition of establishing a political commitment, through the presence of high level national and international authorities, together with development agencies and the scientific community, highlighting the importance of a long-term recognition of water resources management's specific contribution of the climate processes. The session will also enable discussing the need of creating roadmaps and action plans, able to influence political agendas of different countries in aspects, such as, food security, water tenure and monitoring, with a special focus to the One Health approach.

Agenda:

Agenda:

Moderation by Ms Sasha Koo-Oshima, Deputy Director, Land and Water Division, FAO 

13:30-13:40 (GMT)

Welcome and introduction, Mr Li Lifeng, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO

13:40-13:50

Keynote address, Ms Jennifer Sara, Global Director, World Bank Group's Water Global Practice

13:50-14:50

High Level Panel on the charting water for COP 27: How do you scale up water in the COP 27 discussion under UNFCCC process? What are your ambitions for COP 27 in scaling up water in national and international contexts? 

  • H.E. Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak, Minister of Water of Bahrain (tbc)
  • H.E. Muhammad Prakosa, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to FAO, G20 Presidency (tbc)
  • Dr. Amr Fawzy, the Deputy General Manager of The Central Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI), Egypt
  • Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist, FAO  
  • Mr Howard Bamsey, Chair, Global Water Partnership (GWP)
  • Mr Barron Joseph Orr, Lead Scientist, UNCCD
  • Mr Giovanni Muñoz, European Investment Bank (EIB) 

14:50-15:00

Key messages and conclusions, Mr Jean-Marc Faures, Regional Programme Leader, FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa


14:00–16:30 (GMT) 

VIRTUAL Side Event - UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration: Restoring freshwater

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https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Tj6HFO3VRTyTrJa2uoLDiw

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Freshwater ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, and wetlands, provide a range of ecosystem services and products that are essential for human livelihoods and development. However, human activities in watersheds frequently affect aquatic ecosystems and the delivery of these services. Water is already a scarce resource in most regions of the world, and with a world population estimated to increase to nine billion in 2050, water resources and thus inland aquatic ecosystems will come under further pressure from changes in land use, damming, water abstraction, pollution, eutrophication and climate change. To maintain the delivery of services, ecosystem processes and functions must be preserved or restored if lost; key habitats must be protected; and habitat fragmentation avoided. Decision-making processes should involve all stakeholders; therefore, management of inland waters is fundamentally multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary. To catalyze action and assess progress throughout the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we need people to come together across sectors to consolidate existing knowledge on inland aquatic ecosystem restoration and monitoring.

This event will enhance participants’ knowledge and capacity to understand the importance of inland aquatic ecosystems and how restoration can bring about multiple benefits for people and nature; enable successful integration of inland aquatic ecosystem restoration within the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration; and identify and evaluate monitoring indicators for inland aquatic restoration.


Wednesday 23 March 2022


9:00-10:30 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 2D1 - Water productivity for food security

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This session, coordinated by FAO, aims to showcase a number of technological innovations and social approaches to improve water productivity and efficiency in agriculture. A first keynote address will introduce the concepts and highlights existing techniques and approaches to monitor and improve water productivity, and will be followed by lightening talks from field experiences on how to better address water management in the context of the global food security. It will provide impactful examples to explore how to integrate technological and social water solutions into more resilient food systems.


9:00-10:30 (GMT)

VIRTUAL Special Session 8 - Too small to economize, too big to compromise? Measuring the effectiveness of finance delivery for drought management at community level

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With a steady increase in climate finance flow from developed to developing countries, there is a growing need to rigorously measure the additionality, consistency and ultimately the impacts on final beneficiaries in real terms. Increasing the effectiveness of finance in reducing drought risks and impacts is of vital interest for both financing partners and communities. Their inherent heterogeneity and diverse needs constrain the case to harmonize the financing mechanisms and rather call for more flexible and innovative approaches. Many climate financing mechanisms have already introduced methods to assess their impacts. The approaches, records and retrieved data on the results, however, are often insufficient. A better understanding of the current situation is highly desirable, to share lessons and increase effectiveness.

Organized by FAO together with the UNCCD, this special session will contribute to the global debate on measuring the effectiveness of financing to reduce and transform drought risks from the perspective of end-users through a coherent set of discussions and presentations.

Agenda:

Agenda:

09.00 - 09.05 (GMT)

Welcoming remarks, Mr Lifeng Li, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO

09.05 - 09.10

Towards impactful investment in drought risk management, Ms Louise Baker, Managing Director, Global Mechanism, UNCCD

09.10 - 09.20

Challenging the diversity: the financing landscape of drought risk management, Mr Maher Salman, Senior Land and Water Officer, Land and Water Division, FAO

09.20 - 09.35

Fund allocation to drought risk financing: a bird view - Moderated by: Mr Daniel Tsegai, UNCCD

Panel members:

  • Ms Martina Dorigo, Adaptation Fund
  • Mr Amgad Elmahdi, Green Climate Fund (GCF)
  • Mr Ulrich Apel, Green Climate Fund (GEF)

09.35 - 09.50

Impact comes first: mainstreaming vulnerability and impact assessment in drought financing instruments, Ms Caroline King, Senior Drought Expert, The Border Institute

09.50 -10.00

The role of participatory design in investment absorption: a case study on drought risk financing in Kenya, Mr Obadiah Mungai, Chief Economist, National Environment Management Authority, Kenya

10.00 - 10.15

Drought risk financing: mechanisms geared up for action - Moderated by Ms Eva Pek, FAO

Panel members:

  • Ms Christina Bennett, Chief Executive Officer, Start Network
  • Mr Russell Dlamini, National Disaster Management Agency, Eswatini
  • Ms Nazira Lacayo, Disaster Relief Emergency Fund, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

10.15 - 10.25

Q&A session

10.25 - 10.30

Closing remarks, Ms Sasha Koo-Oshima, Deputy Director, Land and Water Division, FAO


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

Special Session 35 - Mainstreaming agroecology in irrigated agriculture

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This session, coordinated by FAO, intends to feature the effects of agroecology in irrigation schemes seeking to redesign food systems while preserving on the diversity of ecosystems. It will present specific responses to water scarcity in the context of marginal lands and climate change. Favoring sustainability of natural resources and governance, protection of smallholder farmers and food security, and line with the "One Water, One Health approach", agroecology optimizes mutually beneficial interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment. The session will seek to showcase possible implementation of agroecology in irrigated food systems and explore the productive performances of practical examples.


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 2E4 - The role of women in irrigation management

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Women are the most affected by water stains and the lack of accessibility of irrigation solutions adapted to small farms. This session, coordinated by “Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale” (IPAR), will document the challenges facing rural producers and women arena in terms of access and control of irrigation water for the maintenance and sustainability of agricultural activities for market gardening. Peri-urban agriculture ensures that cities are supplied with fresh market garden products. However, despite its importance, it is endangered due to the lack of control over productive waters and the difficulty to access to the urban market and to the efficient irrigation technologies. Therefore, many market gardeners abandon their fields in favor of real estate developers and agribusinesses with large means. But it seems that both irrigation technologies and women involvement could improve the economic model of peri-urban agriculture. Through examples, the expected outcomes of this session will identify and share the constraints linked to the control of productive water by market gardeners in rural peri-urban areas thanks to the irrigation practices. Strong consensus on the need to take charge of the identified constraints will be reached by the actors of the sector. Ways to solve the problems will be identified and the levels of responsibilities of the women will be located.


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 2F1 - Towards more policy coherence regarding the migration-water nexus in the context of rural development

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There are large opportunities on the migration-water nexus in rural areas, for example through the development of green and decent employment projects, especially for the empowerment of women and youth, the inclusion of migrants and the sustainability of water resources, both in the territories of origin and destination. The session, coordinated by the the International Organization for Migration (IOM), will explore how adapted and coherent policies can help us realize these opportunities with the double objective of (a) maximizing the inclusion and contribution of youth, migrants and women into rural development and; (b) mitigating the water related root-causes of migration, elaboration of policy recommendations to better take the migration-water nexus into account in the context of rural development.


12:00-13:00 (GMT)

Ecosystem based adaptation for complete water security

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Among the world’s 105 largest cities, one-third get their water from forested areas. Healthy forests, mangroves and other natural systems have a direct impact on water quantity by maintaining water flow, absorbing rainfall and replenishing watersheds (UNFCC 2011). The EbA approaches that restore and conserve healthy ecosystems can be a cost-effective adaptation strategy to maintain or increase the quantity of water available for communities by recharging aquifers and improving natural water storage. These approaches improve the efficiency of water use and management, can also improve access to clean water by providing water filtration benefits similar to drainage and wastewater treatments.

In this panel, organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), discussion we shall deliberate on EbA as a tool for water security, case studies and why it’s a cheaper solution with long term results.

Agenda:

Agenda:

12:00-12:10

Introduction and overview, Mr. Atul Bagai, Session Moderator, Head of India Office, UNEP

12:10-12:45

Panel session

Panelists: 

  • Mr. Pyush Dogra, Senior Environmental Specialist, World Bank Grou
  • Mr. Lifeng Li, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO
  • Ms Vini Mahajan, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources of India
  • Mr. Arvind Kumar, President, India Water Foundation
  • Mr. Avinash Mishra, Advisor Water, Niti Aayog, India

12:45-12-50

Questions & Answers

12:50-13.00

Concluding Remarks, Mr. Atul Bagai, Moderator


13:30-15:00 (GMT)

High Level Panel 16 - A new vision for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM): Systems approach to deliver water to people

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This panel, coordinated by the IWRM Task Force of the World Water Council, will present a new vision of water management to provide systemic vision and clear directions towards equity in the allocation of water across sectors and exploring the interlinkages between water, energy, food, health and education.


13:30-15:00 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 2D2 - Switching from Rural Development towards Rural Transformation

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Diversification of rural economies away from agriculture, and the urbanization of rural regions, are the result of Rural Transformation. They are mediated by localized social structures, institutional frameworks, and local societies with different levels of human agency.

Rural Transformation alters the structure of landholdings, the technologies in use, the capabilities of rural women and men, and the distribution and dynamics of the population and labor force, potentially generating multiple benefits that go well beyond rural areas. Rural Transformation thus entails a sustainable and comprehensive level of change in rural areas that is social as well as economic and environmental. There are some successful reports on rural economy improvements in China and some other south- East Asian countries as a result of better understanding of poverty problems in the region and implementation of more comprehensive plans.


15:15-16:45 (GMT) 

Keystone Roundtable: Water for rural development

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The Priority Rural Development will be holding 22 Ordinary Sessions during the 9th World Water Forum week. The Priority is also going to be discussed in a number of Special Sessions and High-Level Panels. Those sessions focus especially on directing the financial, technological, social and human efforts necessary to significantly reduce the inequality gap, particularly in access to water and sanitation services, while improving sustainable agricultural practices, governance, and climate adaptation and mitigation. These focal points are addressed relating them to the linkages of the 2030 Agenda/SDGs. The outcomes of the Priority Ordinary Thematic Sessions will be discussed during the Keystone Roundtable which will come up with a list of commitments and recommendations for concrete actions to be implemented in the short and long term, as well as potential actors to be involved, and this way contribute to the thematic outcomes.


Thursday 24 March 2022


8:00-9:00 (GMT)

VIRTUAL Side Event - One Water One Health

REGISTER HERE

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, nearly 75 percent of emerging human infectious diseases in the past three decades are zoonotic. With increasing environmental stresses, new infectious agents are expected as the world faces the current pandemic crisis. One Water One Health session aims to highlight planning and awareness-raising in health and well-being that recognizes the interconnections between people, animals, plants and our shared environment through 'WATER.' 

The concept of One Water, One Health, comes to address the integral concept of water as reflected in Sustainable Development Goal 6: ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The focus of this 9th World Water Forum session addresses the potential risks to human health of contaminated source water in Africa and elsewhere, where people and livestock often live in close proximity especially in the rural sub-Sahara. SDG 6 addresses sustainable, equitable access to safe, reliable water: including irrigation water, water used in food production and processing, water management practices and development, water efficiency, and the protection of aquatic ecosystems, under the umbrella of integrated water resources management. Water reuse in agriculture, chemicals and antibiotics in the environment and food supply chain and their impacts on wildlife, aquatic life and humans, and the environmental control measures needed for disease prevention is also be addressed. 

One Water One Health and Antimicrobial Resistance 

Water is critical in both agriculture and food processing, as well as in nutrition and human health. In order to solve water challenges (equity, affordability and access), a multi-sectoral approach between water, food/agriculture, ecosystems, and public health is needed. Given that resistant bacteria and genes often cross environments and species boundaries, it is also critical to understand and acknowledge the linkages between human, animal and the environment to manage antimicrobial resistance.  

Objective 

This session fosters awareness and multistakeholder dialogue that brings together the tripartite organisations namely the UN FAO, WHO, OIE and UNEP with the governments, the private sector, and experts from environment, health, and WASH sectors. The event presents an opportunity to understand the multitude of water and health linkages and antimicrobial resistance from a water environment perspective, specifically the scope of the problem, sources, drivers, transmissions mechanisms, and the implications to global water security and mitigation actions. 

Agenda:

Agenda:

8:00-8:05 (GMT)

Opening Remarks, Sasha Koo-Oshima, Deputy Director, Land and Water Division, FAO

8:05-8:15

Keynote lecture, Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Chair of the Global Leaders Group (GLG) Environment Group

8:15-8-45

Panelist point of views from various sectors - 

on water pollution prevention and control: 

1. Antibiotic pollution as a driver for resistance
Joakim Larsson
Professor in Environmental Pharmacology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

2. WASH and wastewater in health services
Kate Medlicott
Team Lead, Sanitation, Water Sanitation and Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

3. Agriculture perspective

Marion Savill
Executive Director, Affordable Water Limited and Water, Chair, the NZ Chapter of International Water Association (IWA) and Co-Chair, IWA ASPIRE, New Zealand

4. Animal Livestock
Nigel French, 

Distinguished Professor of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, Massey University, New Zealand, Chief Scientist for the New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre, Co-Director of One Health Aotearoa and Executive Director of the Infectious Disease Research Centre.  

5. Environment
David Graham
Professor of Ecosystems Engineering, School of Engineering, Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Moderator for Panel Session: Sasha Koo-Oshima, FAO

8:45-8:50

Q&A in chat box
Moderator: Omar El-Hassan
Consultant, Land and Water Division, FAO

8:50-9:00

Conclusion - wrap up
Robert Bos
Senior Consultant, Land and Water Division, FAO


9:00-10:30 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 2F2 - Are water deficits and extreme events increasing migration and displacement?

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There is growing evidence that water scarcity, changes in precipitation patterns and extreme weather events combined with socioeconomic vulnerabilities are driving migration and displacement. In 2016, climate and water-related disasters were responsible for displacing 23.5 million people. Closing the knowledge gaps by gathering statistics, data and information on migration and its drivers, is key to support evidence-based policies, programmes and investments to tackle migration. There is no clear, simple solution but while the cost of responses to migration is concerning for States, the cost of no decisions will certainly surpass it. This session, coordinated by FAO and the United Nations University (UNU), will provide latest data and evidence on the linkages between water and migration, and identify the knowledge gaps so they can be included in future research programs and projects.


9:00-10:30 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 1D2 - Tools and knowledge management for ecosystem-based approaches to land and water management from source-to-sea

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Ecosystem-based approaches to land, water coastal and marine resources management require information from many disciplines and actors, beyond conventional measures that address specific segments of the source-to-sea system and neglect linkages. Collecting (or modeling), analyzing, and communicating this information is vital for both monitoring (e.g., SDGs) and decision making, but the resources for data acquisition and knowledge management are insufficient, and data providers and decision makers are not working closely as they could.  This session, coordinated by Conservation International, will focus on bridging these “gaps” by promoting: 1) modern methods and tools that provide or synthesize relevant data for ecosystem-based management and 2) networks to share experience and skill transfer to build capacity in decision-support. It will feature innovative approaches, such as using remote sensing as a complement to in-situ monitoring, and will also highlight examples from around the world where data is being transformed into knowledge to help decision and policy makers better incorporate ecosystem protection into water resource management.


9:00-10:30 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 4C1 - Caring for the law: a Manifesto, coordinated by International Association for Water Law (AIDA)


9:00-10:30 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 2D4 - Smart management water systemcoordinated by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID)

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The world's environment requires integrated water management, but at the same time, it faces various factors that are difficult to forecast, such as global warming and resources quality change. These disasters on water management are becoming more intensive and widespread day by day. To solve the efficient and sustainable water management of agricultural water, it is necessary to continuously develop and apply the engineering technology of the 4th industrial revolution to prepare a forecast and response system for an uncertain future. Mutual efforts from governments, academia, and related experts are required so that effective integrated water management can take place, rather than simple improvement of the system such as automation. It can respond to integrated water management and environmental changes while systematically managing the agricultural infrastructure.

As we face an era and environment that requires integrated water management, our goal is to apply various technologies including information and communication technology (ICT), big data, and smart mobile applications in the field of water management for sustainable management of agricultural water. We believe that water management can be more efficient and scientific through increasing the efficiency and accuracy of water management based on ICT technology and sharing water management information by establishing a system that can forecast, monitor and control the supply of agricultural water.


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 2D5 - Water for agricultural climate resilience

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In sub-Sahara Africa, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Asia regions, farming systems are largely dependent on small-scale farmers who rely on rainfed agriculture, already straddled with the negative impacts of the changing climate. Actions on effective adaptation and mitigation pathways in line with predicted uncertainties and erratic patterns of rainfall intensity, duration, and variability are crucial. Farmers, government agencies, basin authorities, investors and civil society organizations need to adapt to this new reality through the adoption of innovative climate-smart water solutions and inclusive integrated planning approaches to build resilience to climate change. This session is coordinated by FAO and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Ghana.


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

Special Session 52 - Concrete answers for water security

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The session, coordinated by the Ministry for Ecological Transition of Spain,  aims to present the main instruments to achieve water security, in terms of integrated water resources management, development and operation of infrastructure compatible with the environment, financial mechanisms and incentives for sustainable water management, which will accelerate the path towards achieving SDG 6. During the session, an exhibition of the world panorama will be presented, followed by cases of concrete practices that can serve as inspiration for other territories.


10:45-12:15 (GMT)

Special Session 15 - Rural Development to build resilience to global change

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This session, coordinated by the Ministry for Equipment and Water of Morocco, aims to emphasize the need to ensure rural development taking into account the real needs of vulnerable populations, often unable to cope with global changes. It will also present:

  • Programs and sectoral strategies aimed at strengthening the resilience of populations in the face of climate hazards;
  • Successful initiatives at the national and international level in favor of rural development;
  • Good water and soil conservation practices at national and international level. 

The session will also emphasize the need to improve water management at local level in order to contribute to strengthen the resilience of the rural population, improve their living conditions and reduce their level of poverty.


13:30 – 15:00 (GMT)

Ordinary Thematic Session 4B3 - The role of the localized information system in water management and planning

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Access to information on the state and evolution of water resources and their uses is an imperative need and a major challenge for establishing an inclusive governance framework that takes into account the different links in integrated water management in a structured manner. 

In view of the crucial importance of data, good governance of water resources therefore requires capacity building for accessing and processing water data in collaboration with local stakeholders, in order to generate information and services that meet the requirements of inclusive planning. This session is coordinated by the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa).