SIWI at the 7th World Water Forum in Korea

SIWI sees the event as an important opportunity to meet decision makers from all regions of the world and discuss joint solutions to the world’s most critical water problems. SIWI takes an active part in the conference by participating in and organizing a range of events relating to the critical areas we work with, such as water and climate change, water and energy and transboundary water management.

SIWI staff on spot in Korea: Torgny Holmgren, Executive Director, Karin Lexén, Director International Processes, Håkan Tropp, Managing Director, Therese Sjömander Magnusson, Director Transboundary Water Management, Marian Patrick, Programme Manager Transboundary Water Management, Birgitta Liss Lymer, Programme Manager Water-Energy-Food Nexus, Annie Strand, Programme Officer World Water Week.

Overview of SIWI’s involvement

Monday April 13

Ministerial Round Table: Water for Peace and Co-Prosperity – Transboundary Water Cooperation
Time: 09:45-13:00
SIWI involvement: Torgny Holmgren will hold a key note speech on the challenges and opportunities around transboundary waters.
Goal of session: Identify what drives a collaborative dialogue over shared water resources and to explore steps countries can take to realize the full benefits of cooperation on water.

Enhancing resilience through robust water policies and appropriate water management
Time: 14:40-16:40
SIWI involvement: Karin Lexén is one of the speakers, John Matthews will moderate.
Goal of session: This session will seek to foster a dialogue between the audience and the speakers on the emergence of new issues and new solutions that enable the practical implementation of climate adaptation of water resources.
SIWI key message: Given the pivotal importance of water in climate change, UNFCCC bodies need to systematically address the role of water in both adaptation and mitigation. SIWI calls for wise management of water resources to be thoroughly integrated in the future global 2015 Climate Agreement.

The UN WWDR 2015: Water for a Sustainable World
Time: 17:00-19:00
SIWI involvement: Håkan Tropp is part of an expert panel.
Goal of session: To present he main findings and messages of the World Water Development Report 2015 (WWDR 2015), which provides a focused descriptive analysis that demonstrates how water is a key factor in a future sustainable world.

Climate change adaptation in basins: examples and good practices
Time: 17:00-19:00
SIWI involvement: John Matthews moderates the session.
Goal of session: The session will give an overview of the most important lessons learned from adaptation in basins and will present the experiences gained though concrete cases from various basins in the world.
SIWI key message: Water is the primary medium through which climate change influences the Earths ecosystems and many basins around the world are already affected by such impacts. Basin-wide cooperation in adaptation enables more effective adaptation by sharing data, models and scenarios, and locating measures at optimal locations within the basin.

Tuesday April 14

Insights and Intelligence 2015: Water Sector Thought Leaders Share Predictions, Hopes, and Warnings
Time: 13:30-14:30
SIWI involvement: The Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (which SIWI serves as secretariat for) organizes the event.
Goal of session: What is a knowledge network for if not to provide answers to your most pressing questions? A select group of the AGWA members will respond to compelling questions about advances in science and technology, risk, geopolitical connections, energy prices, policy wins and failures, and the most promising trends on the horizon, all within the context of water resources.

Regional integration – Economic upliftment
Time: 19:10-20:10
SIWI involvement: Torgny Holmgren and Therese Sjömander Magnusson will speak.
Goal of session: There is a political shift towards a regional approach to development and water in the Southern African region. Key issue is how to ensure effective linkages between regional development and national priorities and benefits.

Wednesday April 15

Water Diplomacy and Multi-level Governance: Connecting levels to make a difference
Time: 17:00-19:00
SIWI involvement: Marian Patrick moderates the panel discussion and Therese Sjömander Magnusson is one of the panelists.
Goal of session: Recognize the interdependencies between the multiple actors that comprise water diplomacy efforts. This will contribute to effective implementation but also ensures that water allocation and management decisions made at one level, for example the diplomatic or international level, translates into socially and environmentally acceptable outcomes at the local or implementation level.

Concluding Session 2.2: Water and Energy
Time: 17:00-19:00
SIWI involvement: Torgny Holmgren moderates high level panel.
Goal of session: Key messages from the water and energy theme will be brought together in a synthesis session, where highlights including the implementation roadmap will be presented and discussed.
SIWI key message: Water and energy need to be considered holistically, and the nexus can be a leverage point for improving efficiency and long term sustainability.

Thursday April 16

Water Security and Sustainable Development: Co-operation among Disciplines and Stakeholders
Time: 09:00-10:00
SIWI involvement: Karin Lexen is a speaker and panelist
Goal of session: The session aims to provide feedback mechanisms for upcoming Sustainable Development Goals.
SIWI key message: Water is essential for successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A SDG on water is a unique opportunity to holistically address our world’s water related challenges, avoiding potentially fragmented and unsustainable solutions which can increase competition between different water users. SDG targets and indicators must serve the purpose of linking water to key areas such as energy, food, climate, health and growth.

Integrity and Transparency for successful water policies: Challenges and Progress
Time: 11:20-13:20
SIWI involvement: Håkan Tropp is moderator of session on water governance and integrity principles
Goal of session: The session aims to make a next step in broadening and deepening partnership for integrity and transparency in the water sector.

Effective Governance: Enhanced Political Decisions, Stakeholder Participation and Technical Information
Time: 14:40-16:40
SIWI involvement: Håkan Tropp is part of the reporting back session
Goal of session: After a week of discussions on the topic of effective governance, the concluding session will take stock of the key messages from the various sessions.

Friday April 17

Green investment for blue economy – managing sources for coastal and marine water quality improvements
Time: 09:00-11:00
SIWI involvement: SIWI organizes the session and Torkil Jønch Clausen is key note speaker and facilitator of the panel discussion.
Goal of session: Explore ways to make use of green investment to combat water quality degradation downstream and realize blue economy potential.