Here are SIWI’s sessions during WWWeek At Home

SIWI’s role is to curate content and hold joint events, such as the Opening, the Meet the ministers, the Closing and the Stockholm Junior Water Prize ceremony. But we also take the opportunity to organize a number of sessions on specific topics, often together with partner organizations, to draw on our own knowledge and experience. Here are some sessions on hot topics 2020, click on the links to learn more and take part.

Sanitation for everyone

SIWI, together with UNICEF, is closely monitoring how the world is responding to Covid-19 from a water, sanitation, and hygiene perspective. Important lessons are shared on in the session A coordinated response under Covid: feasible and worth the effort? (Monday 6 pm CET)

The pandemic has also raised awareness of the fact that 40 per cent of the global populations still lack provisions for clean water at home. This dilemma is explored in Progressive realization of the right to water and sanitation (Wednesday 4 pm CET) with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Léo Heller.

Two sessions are dedicated to new sanitation challenges linked to climate change: Water and sanitation regulation in the climate change era (Wednesday 6 pm CET) and Linking the WASHBAT to climate change management. (Thursday 4 pm CET)

Climate change management

Given the impact of the climate crisis on all aspects of life, this is, of course, addressed in most sessions. In Breaking silos – across sectors and boundaries – responding to climate change and Covid-19 (Tuesday 1 pm CET), the panellists discuss how water-related solutions often help us tackle several of humanity’s greatest challenges simultaneously. For inspiration on how water can be integrated into countries’ nationally determined contributions to the Paris Agreement, you should tune into Enhancing the NDCs: An opportunity for addressing water interactions (Monday 5 pm CET).

The sessions Linking climate information, governance and justice for a resilient future (Wednesday 7 m CET) and Solving the water climate puzzle by connecting youth stories and decision-makers (Wednesday 1 pm CET) will also raise important questions about how water should be governed and by whom.

Building resilience

Many sessions look at concrete water solutions to boost societies’ resilience, for example, Water in a climate crisis – capacitating resilient solutions (Monday 3 pm CET) and Urban resilience under Covid-19: what happens next? (Thursday 12 am CET) The topic of nature-based solutions is explored in Co-benefits of implementing NBS for climate-related water and flood management (Thursday 10 am CET).

There is also a session on the important topic of  How do businesses manage short-term shocks and long-term water resilience? (Tuesday 3 pm CET)

Landscapes and farming

One of SIWI’s main areas of expertise relates to sustainable landscape management. In Improving water and landscape governance in Ethiopia, stories of change (Thursday 9 am CET), participants get to follow one successful project with important lessons also for other countries. The session Building climate resilience and incentivizing African farmers (Wednesday 11 am CET) discusses the use of Payment for Ecosystem Services as a way to encourage effective water and soil management.

To learn more about the growing importance of groundwater as the climate crisis escalates, you should join the session AMCOW’s groundwater governance program a roadmap to resilience (Tuesday 4 pm CET) and if you’re interested in digital solutions to improve water quality, you may want to check out Digital water platform to change the world of safe water (Thursday 3 pm CET).

Here you find the full programme for the week, with everything you need to know about the 120 sessions.

Special highlights

• Stockholm Junior Water Prize At 2 pm CET on 25 August R.H Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will announce the winner of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Competitors aged 15 to 20 compete with amazing water projects that solve major real-world problems.
• The Opening takes place 9.30 am CET on 24 August. SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren and World Water Week Director Gabriela Suhoschi share insights into this year’s top trends as well as practical information.
• Meet the ministers. At 2 pm CET on 24 August you meet ministers from Colombia, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Sweden as well as the President of Senegal in an interview with SIWI’s Kanika Thakar and Maggie White. Anyone can send questions to them.
• The Closing at 6 pm CET on 28 August lets Torgny Holmgren and Gabriela Suhoschi wrap up the week and look into the future.

Day by day

Monday:

Water in a climate crisis – capacitating resilient solutions Monday 3 pm CET

Enhancing the NDCs: An opportunity for addressing water interactions Monday 5 pm

A coordinated response under Covid: feasible and worth the effort? Monday 6 pm CET

Tuesday:

Breaking silos – across sectors and boundaries – responding to climate change and Covid-19 Tuesday 1 pm CET

How do businesses manage short-term shocks and long-term water resilience? Tuesday 3 pm CET

AMCOW’s groundwater governance program a roadmap to resilience Tuesday 4 pm CET

Wednesday:

Building climate resilience and incentivizing African farmers Wednesday 11 am CET

Solving the water climate puzzle by connecting youth stories and decision-makers Wednesday 1 pm CET

Progressive realization of the right to water and sanitation Wednesday 4 pm CET

Water and sanitation regulation in the climate change era Wednesday 6 pm CET

Thursday:

Improving water and landscape governance in Ethiopia, stories of change Thursday 9 am CET

Urban resilience under Covid-19: what happens next? Thursday 12 am CET

Digital water platform to change the world of safe water Thursday 3 pm CET

Linking the WASHBAT to climate change management Thursday 4 pm CET