SIWI in the Swedish Pavilion
SIWI is part of the Swedish Pavilion at Rio+ 20 in the Athleats Park organized by the Swedish Trade Council. SIWI has among other things held two presentations about the World Water Week in Stockholm under its theme: Water and Food Security. SIWI was also present and presented its engagement at Rio+20 at the visit of their Royal Majesties and the Swedish delegation including Hon. Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for Development and Cooperation and Hon. Lena Ek, Minister of Environment.
Water Food and Energy Nexus – A Fundament for Green Economy
On June 15 SIWI co-convened together with KTH a side event about the value of addressing water, food and energy through and integrated approach. Speakers included: Per Bertilsson, Acting Executive Director SIWI; Mark Howell, KTH; and Hans H. Rogner, IAEA. A conclusion of the side event was that there is a need to address the water, food and energy in a holistic manner in planning for a sustainable future.
UN Watercourses Convention
On June 14 SIWI co-convened together with WWF and Green Cross a side event about the ratification and entry into force of the Un Watercourse Convention.
The UNWC offers legal stability and consistency for preventing and dealing with water-related disputes in a peaceful and equitable manner. In a changing climate, the Convention also serves as a flexible instrument to support mutually beneficial interstate cooperation and cross-border adaptive freshwater management and protection, as well as to contribute to the achievement of key policy goals and other environmental agreements.
At the side event the convening organizations urged governments and the international community at large to acknowledge the transboundary and global dimensions of climate change in relation to water; and, accordingly, to strengthen international law as a key tool supporting and facilitating transboundary water cooperation.
Mr Per Bertilsson, Acting Executive Director of SIWI held a presentation at the side event, about the importance of countries uniting and ratifying the convention to support the management around shared waters.
Sustainable Water Use in Textile Production – A Case for Cooperation
On June 16 the Government of Sweden hosted a session at the UN Global Compact’s Rio +20 Corporate Sustainability Forum where SIWI was the partner’s coordinator. On behalf of SIWI Ms Karin Lexén, Director of SWH at SIWI and board member of STWI, presented the main lessons learned from the Sweden Textile Water Initiative (STWI). STWI was founded to promote sustainable water use in the textile and leather industry. Over the course of two years, 33 Swedish companies have worked together with SIWI to develop guidelines for sustainable water use. Other speakers included Mr Torgny Holmgren, Ambassador and head of the Department for Development Policy, Sweden Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Stuart Orr, Manger Freshwater Team, WWF International; Dov Brachfeld, Global Environmental Sustainability Controller, H&M.
Taking part in the Swedish Delegation as adviser
Karin Lexén takes part in the negotiations as an adviser to the Swedish delegation:
“We are in a critical phase of the negotiations. The Brazilians have put a text on the table that builds on the negotiated text of the Zero Draft. It is attempts to serve as a compromise but in many critical parts the text has been diluted.
There is a water section in the text but the paragraph on transboundary waters has been deleted and the text on drinking water and sanitation as a human right has been weakened, so right now there is an important momentum for a push on the water issue as the negotiations continue”.