The world is not on track to achieve SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, with significant challenges remaining in almost every country on earth (Sachs, et al. 2022). Addressing the alarming state of global water and sanitation was made even more urgent during the UN Water Conference in March 2023, resulting in the Water Action Agenda and more than 700 multi-sectoral commitments to support water action through financing, infrastructure, and policy development. Nearly 20 percent of commitments feature an element of education or capacity building. However, education and science play a larger role in the achievement of SDG 6 and all SDGs (Toman, van’t Land, & Harris, 2023).
Recognizing that research, knowledge transfer, and community engagement are essential for the achievement of all of the Sustainable Development Goals, and that SDG 6 is under review at this yearโs HLPF, this side event will explore best practices in water sector capacity building from around the world, including a focus on partnerships (with educational institutions, local governments, NGOs, etc.) as an accelerator for action.
The event will bring together experts from across the global networks of the International Association of Universities, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the Global Water Partnership, representing higher education, policy, and practice, to discuss innovative approaches to, and the remaining needs of, capacity building in the sector.
The event will result in lessons learned and documented best practices for continuing work in water-sector capacity building and knowledge exchange.ย
Key questions
- Why are capacity building and educational activities crucial to advance sustainable development in the water sector?
- What are the needs of different types of capacity building (degree programs, job training, trainings and workshops, etc.)?
- What are best practices for multi-stakeholder platforms in the water sector?
- How can other SDGs benefit from the types of capacity building explored in the discussion?
Agenda
- Welcoming words from host organizations
- Individual speaker presentations
- Moderated roundtable discussion
- Audience Q&A
- Closing
Speakers
- Dr. Yumiko Yasuda, Senior Network & Transboundary Water Cooperation Specialist, Global Water Partnership, and Lead Faculty, Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security MOOC
- Dr. Callist Tindimugaya, Commissioner for Water Resources Planning and Regulation, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda
- Dr. Basant Maheshwari, Distinguished Professor (Water, Environment & Sustainability), Western Sydney University, Australia
- Annina Takala, University Instructor, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, Finland
- Dr. Robert O. Manteaw, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies (C3SS), University of Ghana
Welcome: Shannon Kobran, Regional Team Lead for Asia, SDG Academy, SDSN
Opening Words: Dr. Jouhaina Gherib, President, University of Manouba, Tunisia and IAU Vice-President/Chair of HESD Working Group
Moderated by Dr. Hilligje vanโt Land, Secretary General, IAUย
Organizers: International Association of Universities (IAU), UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), Global Water Partnership (GWP)
Supporting partners: Uganda and Finland
Date and time: July 18, 8am-9.30 ET, 2pm-3.30pm CEST (virtual event)
Recording here: https://youtu.be/n6zjG-at7l4
Speaker presentations can be found here.
See end of document for further links.