Guide to 2023 – a crucial year for water

Water Action Agenda

The Water Action Agenda is an initiative by the co-hosts the Governments of the Netherlands and Tajikistan to fast-track water action. It is a platform for game-changing initiatives that will improve how water is used, managed, and valued.

Not only governments can make commitments but also cities, organizations, and businesses; what matters is that the initiatives are tangible and actionable. More commitments can be added also after the UN 2023 Water Conference.

New York Water Week (18-24 March)

The New York Water Week is an independent public event, organized by the governments of the Netherlands and Tajikistan together with the City of New York. The idea is to invite everyone to be part of the important global movement for water. During the week, New York will be filled with all kinds of water-related events, organized by local groups, creatives, businesses, and organizations. Many of the events can also be followed online by people in other parts of the world, so stay tuned.

Global Commission on the Economics of Water

At the UN 2023 Water Conference, the Global Commission on the Economics of Water will present its first report on 22 March. The Commission consists of 17 top experts and is led by Professor Mariana Mazzucato, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Johan Rockström and Singapore Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Over the course of two years, the Commission will share research to transform our understanding of the economics of water in the same way that the Stern Review broke new ground in 2006 with the first real analysis of climate economics and the 2021 Dasgupta report outlining the economics of biodiversity.

The Commission was invited to give a presentation at the United Nations General Assembly on 7 February. It is also holding its first societal dialogue on 7-9 February as part of the Roundtable on the Financing of Water, organized by OECD and UN-Water.

High-Level Political Forum (10-19 July)

Progress on road to the 2030 Agenda will be tracked in many ways in the coming year. One is the High-Level Political Forum in New York, a yearly event that reviews a handful of SDGs per year.

This year, SDG 6 on water and sanitation is one of them, which means that we will get a better understanding of what are the main barriers to success. But the other SDGs in focus are also closely linked to water: SDG 7 (energy), SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure), SDG 11 (cities and communities), and SDG 17 (to strengthen the implementation of the agenda).

World Water Week (20-24 August)

The SIWI-organized World Water Week will take place both in Stockholm and online this year, with online participation free of charge to ensure the broadest possible representation. World Water Week is deeply committed to the Water Action Agenda and will serve as an arena for collaboration and learning to support its implementation. This year’s theme of innovation is of course very timely.

SDG Summit (19-20 September)

The SDG Summit marks the midpoint of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and should be “the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress”. The event will take place during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week, with government leaders sharing how they now will up their game.

COP 28 in Dubai (30 November – 12 December)

The climate COP 28 will have plenty of contentious issues to address, from the calls for the phasing out of fossil fuels to how to operationalize the Loss & Damage fund that should be set up. Also on the agenda is the framework for the goal on adaptation and the Global Stocktake that concludes after a two-year assessment of progress on the three themes mitigation, adaptation, and implementation and support.