Follow SIWI to COP26

Here are some SIWI-related activities to tune into:

1 November, Monday – OPENING DAY

09:30 – 10:40 CET    Opening ceremony of the Water Pavilion

Water’s role in unlocking net zero and climate challenges. How COP26 can deliver integrated climate, water, and development solutions. SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren opens the Water Pavilion at this launch event which will set the scene for all the water activities in the coming two weeks.

AGWA, CDP, GWP, IUCN, SIWI, Water UK, and AWS

Keynote: Lord Deben, Chair of the Climate Change Committee (UK).

11:15 – 12:00 CET   The Race to Zero and Resilience, unleashing water’s power

A series of events building content from action plans and route maps in place across different water sectors worldwide to set the scene for COP26. Our aim is to demonstrate water’s fundamental role in supporting international efforts against climate change and building resilience.

Water UK and partners

15:00 – 16:30  CET  Water and Mitigation: From Science to Practice

This event is moderated by Torgny Holmgren and aims to raise awareness of the often underestimated role of water in climate mitigation. In the session, SIWI’s Dr. Malin Lundberg Ingemarsson will share insights from new research on the potential of water-related mitigation solutions. Her SIWI colleague David Hebart-Coleman will update us on how countries are currently implementing water in their climate action plans. We will also hear from IUCN, UNDP, UNICEF, Xylem and the new Water Initiative for Net Zero, founded by Jon Lane who heads SIWI’s Scientific Programme Committee.

SIWI, UNICEF, 50L Home Coalition, and Xylem

2 November, Tuesday – FINANCE

09:00 – 09:45 CET   Climate finance to support adaptation of basic services and build community resilience: water, sanitation, and hygiene 

SIWI’s Dr. Alejandro Jiménez will participate in a panel discussion on why water, sanitation and hygiene tend to be forgotten in discussions on resilience and climate adaptation. How can we ensure that WASH becomes an important aspect of climate policy?

SWA, UNICEF, Wateraid,  Water.org, the Government of the Netherlands, the Government of the United Kingdom

4 November – NATURE

09:00 – 09:30  CET Opening session: Water-wise nature-based solutions to turn climate risks into opportunities for action

SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren will be speaking in the opening session to draw attention to the underutilized tool of nature-based solutions.

10:00 – 11:00  CET Hope comes out of the blue: Inspiring climate action from source to sea

We are co-hosting a session on the source-to-sea methodology to increase the impact of climate action. At this event, moderated by SIWI’s Ruth Mathews, you will meet the United Nations’ Special Envoy for the Oceans Peter Thomson and IMF’s Assistant Director Ralph Chami.

Action Platform for Source-to-Sea Management (S2S Platform), SIWI, UNDP, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Marine Conservation Society, Whale and Dolphin Conservation

12:30 – 13:30  CET  Design and planning of nature-based solutions to address climate change

SIWI and other organizations offer a session on making better use of nature-based solutions. You will meet SIWI’s Landscapes expert Lotta Samuelson, as well as representatives from ARCC (part of the Peruvian government), Arup Gleeds Mace, FAO, GIZ, IUCN, IWMI, Stockholm Resilience Centre, the UNDP-SIWI Water Governance Facility, UNEP, and the UK Government Department of International Trade.

5 November – YOUTH

14:30 – 15:30  CET  Today’s choices, Tomorrow’s Impact – Youth Action in the Water and Climate Nexus

SIWI’s Youth Empowerment focal point will be participating in this dialogue on issues, challenges as well as pathways for youth contribution and collaboration in building resilience in climate through water.

Global Water Partnership (GWP) International Secretariat for Water (ISW), World Youth Parliament for Water, GWP CEE, OoskaNews 

6 NOVEMBER

10:00 – 12:30 CET Adaption: Building adaptive capacity through climate resilient water, sanitation and hygiene solutions

SIWI’s Water and Sanitation expert, Robin Ward, will give a presentation on breaking down water sector silos for climate action

12.40 – 14.10 CET Policy, Accountability and Monitoring: Needs and opportunities for water, sanitation and hygiene

SIWI’s Director of Water and Sanitation, Alejandro Jiménez PhD will moderate a panel on WASH integration in climate planning

11 NOVEMBER, Thursday – CITIES & INFRASTRUCTURE

16:45 – 18:00  CET   Adaptation and resilience in urban water: Lessons from practice

SIWI’s Panchali Saikia will be moderating but also sharing experiences from the City Water Resilience Approach.

Arup, RS, WRI, RCN, Wateraid, SIWI, IWA, WSUP, GIZ 

See full Water Pavilion programme