Sowing seeds of change at World Water Week 2023
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World Water Week is the leading conference on global water issues, held every year since 1991. World Water Week attracts a diverse mix of participants from many professional backgrounds and every corner of the world. Together participants develop solutions to the world’s greatest water-related challenges, with topics ranging from food security and health to agriculture, technology, biodiversity, gender equality and the climate crisis.
World Water Week 2023 is focused on innovation at a time of unprecedented challenges. The theme Seeds of Change: Innovative Solutions for a Water-Wise World invites us to rethink how we manage water. Which ideas, innovations, and governance systems will we need in a more unstable and water scarce world?
Water for Women is pleased to be convening and supporting several sessions both online and on-site with our partners that will explore innovative approaches and solutions in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for a water-wise world. We encourage those attending in person to catch our sessions outlined below and if you can't make it in person, many of our sessions will be accessible for free online.
Visit our booth at World Water Week (click image to enlarge)
Waterfront Congress Centre
Level 4
4:15
We will again be attending as part of Australia – water partners for development, a collaboration between Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Water for Women and Australian Water Partnership. We encourage you to stop by our booth and look forward to connecting with people across the world, encouraging idea generation, innovation, and discussion about our shared, water-wise future.
Sunday 20 August
Water and food security in the Pacific
08:00 - 09:00 CEST | 16:00 - 17:00 AEST
Online only
Convenors: Australian Water Partnership, University of Technology Sydney
Going beyond community-based water planning for climate resilience in Solomon Islands
17:45 - 19:45 CEST | 01:45 - 03:45 AEST (21 August)
Film Screening, Centre stage, A1
Community-based Water Security Improvement Planning builds capacities of rural communities in Solomon Islands to plan community water systems, focusing on improving social inclusion and climate resilience. A stewardship approach supports thinking beyond the community boundary to manage water problems, and, story-telling is used to explore past and future changes
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This short film was produced to share key elements of the Community-based Water Security Improvement Planning approach developed for the Solomon Islands (Oceania). Conventional Water Safety Planning was modified to suit the local context, in particular, to improve social inclusion in the process and outcomes, to improve capacity development, to stimulate interest and motivation amongst communities, and to improve climate resilience.
Climate resilience is addressed through facilitation of Tok Stori sessions with community members to explore climate/weather changes and events of the past, the effects on the water supply system, and the subsequent impacts to people. This becomes the basis for identifying potential consequences of future events and change, and identifying adaptation measures. Climate resilience is also enhanced by considering the whole water cycle - water sources may lie outside the community's boundary, requiring an understanding of water quality/quantity pathways, and engaging with other catchment stakeholders.
CWSIP is integrated into the WASH Program of Plan International and Live and Learn Environmental Education, funded by the Australian Government's Water for Women Fund to improve WASH in 50 rural communities. International WaterCentre and Solomon Islands National University worked with these partners to research and develop a locally-effective community planning approach (CWSIP). |
Convenors: International WaterCentre (Griffith University), Solomon Islands National University Plan International Australia, Plan International Pacific, Live and Learn Environmental Education, Water for Women, and the Australian Government
Monday 21 August
Diverse voices and representation for stronger climate resilient WASH systems
09:00 - 10:30 CEST | 17:00 - 18:30 AEST
Onsite (C4) and online
In an increasingly fraught world beset by climate hazards, enabling more equitable WASH systems through diversity at the decision-making table is key to a more inclusive and climate resilient future and essential for achieving global targets including the SDGs.
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Through an engaging and interactive session, participants will be equipped to identify and address barriers to inclusive WASH access by focusing on changing underlying systemic norms. The session will be targeted at partners working within the WASH sector, including practitioners, policy makers, local governments and civil society organisations.
Rich examples of cross-sectoral partnerships between WASH and GEDSI actors for inclusive systems change, presented by practitioners from Asia and The Pacific, will concretely demonstrate how WASH programs can support collective action to influence normative changes promoting equity and inclusion in WASH systems - a prerequisite for achieving Agenda 2030 and SDG6 by 2030 (and those SDGs that also depend on SDG6).
Further resources and available tools for participants to use will also be shared as part of the session. |
Convenors: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Department of Climate Change Energy, the Environment and Water, iDE, PLan International, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Water for Women, WaterAid, Griffith University and Sanitation Learning Hub
Enhancing Local resilience through Water-Culture-Innovation nexus
11:00 - 12:30 CEST | 19:00 - 20:30 AEST
Onsite (C1) and online
This session convenes impactful scholars, cultural practitioners, and creative innovators from Asia and the Pacific and shares evidence-based practices and intellectual development that will help shape the resilience framework, shared methodology, and recommendations for actions to decision-makers in the region for culturally informed water innovations.
Convenors: Asia-Pacific Water Forum, Asian Development Bank, GWP Central Asia and Caucasus, International WaterCentre, UNESCO Regional Office in Beijing
Seeds for Sustainable Solutions - Assessing Transformation in WASH
16:00 - 17:30 CEST
Onsite only (Workshops, 26)
Gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI), in programs and organisations, leads to better outcomes in water and WASH, achieving SDG targets and reducing social inequalities. Transforming norms are critical to leaving no one behind and ensuring that everyone is part of the solution for a more climate resilient future.
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Addressing GEDSI in ways that are meaningful and contextually appropriate, requires investing in processes, resources, capacities, knowledge and structures that support transformation at the individual, program, organisation and systems levels. Water for Women and partners have developed three GEDSI tools that can support transformative change for climate-resilient, inclusive water and WASH:
The GEDSI Towards Transformation in WASH Self-Assessment Tool (SAT), co-developed by Water for Women and the Sanitation Learning Hub (SLH), is a practical tool that provides an opportunity for WASH teams to reflect on their current strengths, track progress and identify strategies to drive GEDSI transformative change for more inclusive water and WASH systems and processes to support equity and resilience at household, community and institutional levels.
The WASH-GEM (Gender Equality Measure) is a tool to explore the connections between gender equality and WASH. Developed by The University of Sydney’s Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF) with iDE in Cambodia and SNV in Nepal, within their Water for Women projects, it supports Water and WASH practitioners to explore the connections between WASH and gender equality, and monitor changes over time.
The Qualkit, also developed by UTS-ISF within the Water for Women Fund is a curated set of qualitative monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) tools designed for GEDSI programs.
This session will provide opportunities for participants to interact with the tools and will include reflections from Water for Women partners and SLH, who have applied the tools to their WASH and research programs. The desired impact of this training is for water and WASH practitioners to have a greater understanding of the centrality of GEDSI for driving innovative solutions for strengthening climate-resilient, inclusive water and WASH systems and services.
The workshop will have a strong interactive approach, ensuring opportunities for participant engagement at different levels. After an initial orientation of the tools and reflections from partners, participants will immerse themselves in a series of ‘tool tasters’ with group discussion and reflections. Participants will emerge with a stronger sense of the importance of GEDSI reflective practice and dialogue and its critical role in strengthening water, WASH and broader climate-resilient development outcomes.
The target audience for this session includes water and WASH practitioners, gender equality and social inclusion practitioners, researchers, government representatives and funding agencies that are seeking to build climate-resilient, inclusive water and WASH systems and contribute positively to transforming gender and social norms to support the achievement of SDGs 6, 5 and 10 by 2030. |
Convenors: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, International Water Management Institute, The University of Technology Sydney’s Institute for Sustainable Futures, Sanitation Learning Hub, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Water for Women and World Vision
Respect, Reciprocity, Relatedness: Indigenous Peoples and Living Waters
16:00 - 17:30 CEST | 17:00 - 18:30 AEST
Onsite (C3) and online
Convenors: SIWI, Australian Water Partnership, Carcross/Tagish First Nations, Himalayan Peace Foundation, Karen Environmental and Social Action Network, Northern Maasai, Water Governance Facility
Tuesday 22 August
Two-eyed seeing: Indigenous values for climate-resilient water management
09:00 - 10:30 CEST | 17:00 - 18:30 AEST
Onsite (C2) and online
Convenors: Australian Water Partnership, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy,
Stockholm International Water Institute, University of Arizona, University of Canberra
Mobilizing Innovations: taking action on climate resilient sanitation
09:00 - 10:30 CEST | 17:00 - 18:30 AEST
Onsite (C4) and online
Sanitation and climate change are intrinsically interlinked. Poorly-managed sanitation emits greenhouse gases through methane production, transportation, and energy use, while climate change damages and disrupts sanitation facilities and services and displaces people. This session will share the latest evidence on this topic, and showcase innovations in climate resilient sanitation.
Convenors: Global Green Growth Institute, The University of Technology Sydney’s Institute for Sustainable Futures, PGGM, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, United Nations Children’s Fund, WaterAid, World Bank Group, World Health Organization
Sustainable cost-recovery: fundamental for equitable, sustained sanitation services
10:00 - 11:00 CEST | 18:00 - 19:00 AEST
Online only
Sanitation for all needs financing for full life-cycle costs. However, there are major gaps to achieve SDG6.2 across capital and recurrent costs. Achieving sanitation as a public service also requires distributing such costs fairly and sustainably. The concept coined by the 2003 Camdessus Panel, sustainable cost-recovery, is instrumental for that.
Convenors: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, University of Technology Sydney, World Health Organization
Training: An introduction to Indigenous Water Governance and Two-eyed Seeing
11:00 - 10:30 CEST
Onsite only (Workshops, 26)
Convenors: Carcross/Tagish First Nations, Kaipara Moana Remediation Programme,
Karen Environmental and Social Action Network, UNDP-SIWI Water Governance Facility, United Nations Development Programme, University of Arizona, University of Manitoba
Wednesday 23 August
Join us at our booth: Sowing the seeds for transformative change
10:30 - 11:00 CEST
Level 4, Booth 4:15
Join our special morning tea to explore some of our best resources to support transformative change in Water and WASH programs.
Join us at our booth: Closing drinks + film screening
17:00 - 18:00 CESTLevel 4, Booth 4:15
For onsite participants, we welcome Australian delegates and friends to our booth to celebrate a week of sharing and learning. We'll also re-visit some of the Australia - water partners for development sessions during this casual networking booth event.
Thursday 24 August
Asia Pacific Voices for Climate Resilient Inclusive WASH
09:00 - 10:30 CEST | 17:00 - 18:30 AEST
Onsite (C4) and online
Climate change is impacting women and marginalized groups in disproportionate ways. Recognition and meaningful action on this front is key to getting SDG6 back on track through including marginalized groups, addressing climate change and scaling up gender transformative approaches and tools.
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The event will provide a platform for voices from women leaders in Asia and the Pacific to share their actionable messages, strategies and solutions from community to policy and institutional levels on how to accelerate the implementation of sustainable and climate resilient water resource management for inclusive climate resilient WASH and the prioritisation of effective water stewardship at all levels.
Knowledge and perspectives on the critical intersectionality will highlight the critical links of water and WASH with between water, gender equality, food security, climate change, community health and resilience demonstrating the importance of gender transformative approaches in the Asia Pacific region and globally. |
Convenors: Water for Women, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, International WaterCentre, Australian Water Partnership, Plan International Australia, SNV, Solomon Islands National University, Griffith University
World Water Week is the leading conference on global water issues, the place to explore new ways of managing water and WASH and tackle humanity’s greatest challenges.
Organised by SIWI, this year's event will take place from 20 - 24 August. Participants will be able to attend both online for free or in person at the Waterfront Congress Center in Stockholm, Sweden.
Register today to secure your place. This year the event will also be open to online participants for free, register today.
For those who can't make it, we’ll be sharing updates throughout the event and our sessions via our social media, so you can follow along.
Twitter: @_waterforwomen
Facebook: @waterforwomenfund
LinkedIn: @water-for-women
For more information, visit www.worldwaterweek.org
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