Fostering cooperation at World Water Week’s Opening Ceremony

On 26 August at 14:00 CET, water experts, ministers, journalists and young leaders from around the world, will come together for the World Water Week Opening Ceremony. Taking place at Waterfront Centre Stage as well as online, the Ceremony will shed light on the theme of Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future.

A strong focus on solutions

Many obstacles exist to a peaceful and sustainable future. How can we better understand these obstacles and each other? What solutions are out there to overcome them and what is the role of water in building bridges. The Opening Ceremony puts these questions at the centre and explores how understanding water’s role in our interconnected world can lead to greater cooperation and understanding as well as innovative solutions, and improved policies.

Bringing together experts, inspiring thinkers, and decision-makers from different backgrounds, the Opening Ceremony bridges various angles from science and research, foreign policy, water security and global agendas. Additionally, it sheds light on the obstacles to cooperation and reflects how we can make inclusive decision-making work and improve mutual understanding in times of global crises.

With this wide range of experiences and perspectives, the Opening Ceremony will set the tone for the Week, highlighting the power of water for a more sustainable and peaceful future for all.

A wide range of expertise

Host Arati Davis will invite speakers to share their individual experience on how they have managed to foster change at their own level:

Hear from the award-winning photographer Paul Hansen who will give a visual presentation of the role of water in fragile settings. In a panel discussion, Dan Smith, Director Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), will give a scientific background on the role of water in conflicts. Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (Finland) and Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo (South Africa) will provide concrete examples on how diplomacy and cooperation can help to solve global water challenges.

This will be followed by a conversation with Phil Duncan, University of Canberra, and Aana Edmondson, Sáminuorra, on how knowledge can cross borders across generations, communities and cultures. They will share stories of successful knowledge transfer from Indigenous to non-Indigenous people.

The final segment will feature Teddy Katongo Chifumbano, President World Youth Parliament for Water, and Disa Crow Chief, Blackfoot Youth Water Council , who will talk about how youth from all over the world can be united around water. Sharing their expertise as young leaders, they will present some enabling factors that allow for successful involvement of youth in the global debate.

Jakob Granit, Director General of SIDA, will give the concluding remark, highlighting the role of water in sustainable development, as a bridge between borders, sectors, stakeholders and nations.

Join us to dive into how water can solve today’s pressing global challenges and foster successful cooperation.