The UN World Water Day on March 22 has become an important moment for actors around the world to advocate the sustainable management of freshwater resources. This year, hundreds of events were held worldwide to raise awareness on water issues. Here in Stockholm, the Swedish Water House at SIWI marked the occasion with a seminar that brought together the leading minds and organisations working with water in Sweden, including the Global Water Partnership, FAO Nordic office, UNDP Sweden, UNEP Sweden, Swedish National Commission for UNESCO and Water Aid.

Development Under Water Duress by Ms. Chibesa Pensulo, Programme Manager, Knowledge Services, SIWI

The most arid country in sub-Saharan Africa, Namibia is a country fully aware of its need to manage its water resources efficiently. This year, Namibia’s bulk water utility, the Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) has entered into a one-year collaborative programme with SIWI together with the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) to build local capacity to better address some of the country’s water sector challenges.

The year of water cooperation
Today on March 22 we celebrate the UN World Water Day to highlight the importance of sustainable management of freshwater resources and tackle the water related challenges we face globally.

Our blue planet is at a most interesting crossroad. The physical water situation is in quite dire straits; the demand for freshwater is increasing rapidly due to both population and economic growth. The requirements to produce more food and energy, as well as the variability of water availability, are putting our water resources under significant stress. There is little progress towards the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goal of halving by 2015 the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

We are also seeing strongly increasing water demand from areas that have been less thirsty in the past. Demand from manufacturing industries is projected to quadruple to 2050, and water use by both thermal electricity generation and households is set to more than double.

At the same time, attention to water issues also seems to be rising up the charts. It is hard to measure, but I hope and believe, that global water awareness actually is increasing quicker than global water demand!

In a survey to member states compiled by the UN on priority areas for post-2015 goals; food, water and energy was a distinct top trio. For the second year in a row, water supply crisis was among the top three global risks in the yearly survey by World Economic Forum. We are also seeing how water issues are being prioritized by actors outside of the traditional water community, most significantly from the food and energy sectors.

Amidst all this, there is significant talking and thinking going on to develop new wise ambitions that will support the movement towards a sustainable and desirable world for all – the so called post-2015 development agenda. I am optimistic that the newfound awareness about the importance of water will be converted into far-reaching goals and targets on water as a resource, as a right and as a service.

I am also seeing clear indications of both the need for and the openness to new collaborations and ideas. The post-2015 goals are being discussed as inclusively as our electronic means of communication permits. We do see more cooperation emerging between governments, the private sector, academia and civil society. There are even cases where common ground for collaboration for a more water wise world is found between competitors. It is of course most fitting that all these efforts are emerging during the International Year of Water Cooperation, and we at SIWI look forward to contributing even further towards improved cooperation and more concrete outcomes through the World Water Week on the same theme in September in Stockholm.

Torgny Holmgren,
Executive Director, Stockholm International Water Institute

The 2012 World Water Week, zooming in on Water and Food Security, generated extraordinary media interest and spread SIWI’s findings on issues such as food waste reduction, early warning systems against natural disasters, transboundary water implications of international land acquisitions, and much more.

The 2012 World Water Week, zooming in on Water and Food Security, generated extraordinary media interest and spread SIWI’s findings on issues such as food waste reduction, early warning systems against natural disasters, transboundary water implications of international land acquisitions, and much more.

Download the 2012 Annual Report to read the full story about last year’s accomplishments!

The seminar will focus on water cooperation and specifically cross-sectoral collaboration between the private sector, the public sector and the scientific community. The seminar includes speeches from experts within the water community as well as private sector representatives.

• When? March 22, 08.30-13.00
• Where? Grand Hôtel, Stockholm
• How? The seminar is free of charge, but pre-registration is needed.

*The seminar will be held in Swedish.

Register here!

To watch it on the web, search for “Dela Vatten” on urplay.se.

Visit Swedish Water House website to read more about the seminar.

SIWI’s niche is largely between policy and implementation, often bridging the two, and as such promoting networking and interaction. SIWI’s vision is that of a water wise world. In essence, that is a world aware that it would not survive without cherishing water, as the fundamental resource underpinning economic and social development and as a human right. SIWI’s mission is to generate and promote knowledge, solutions and tools leading to water wise decisions for sustainable development.

It is SIWI’s intention that this strategy shall not only act as guidance for us but also be valuable to anyone who is interested to learn more about SIWI and how we intend to make a difference in working towards achieving a water wise world.

Click here to download the strategy!

SIWI’s Executive Director, Torgny Holmgren, is moderating a Panel Discussion on Strategic Water Resource Management. The discussion highlights water as an essential element for socio-economic development and maintaining healthy eco-systems. How may water resource management be approached to optimise available resources?

SIWI’s Chairman Peter Forssman is participating in a Workshop on the Future Challenges Affecting Water Availability, identifying the depletion, allocation and distribution challenges that arid regions face, and project how they may develop in the coming years climate change is a key factor affecting water availability.

Read more about the summit here.

Some of the key messages from the summit are:

• Water is more important than oil for the United Arab Emirates.
• Water and energy are mutually dependent for production and distribution.
• Massive investments in solar energy are planned to manage desalination plants in the Gulf area.
• Cooperation beyond the sector limits within food, energy and water is essential to combat poverty and increase life quality globally.
• Valuing and pricing water is difficult but crucial to provide incentives for people to economise with water resources.
• Energy production is built up on water supply when accessible, but other solutions have to be found when water is not accessible.

The water consultation is part of the UN-system led “global dialogue” comprising of 50-100 Country Consultations and eleven global Thematic Consultations, including one on water. The water consultation is mainly taking place as an online discussion using different social media. The purpose is to bring voices from a broad range of stakeholders to build consensus around key future challenges related to water and the need for a new global water goal in the post-2015 development agenda.

The thematic consultation on water is divided in three sub-consultations:

• Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
• Water resources
• Wastewater management and water quality

On January 14, all sub-consultations started their online activity inviting everyone to share their insights and opinions on different topics. Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) will lead and moderate the first week under the Water Resources Management theme, which opens with a focus on water and energy.

Water for Energy – Energy for Water

Water and energy linkages have rapidly risen to the forefront of attention among urgent themes related to development challenges in the international community. The importance of water as a key pillar to sustain human well-being, secure livelihood opportunities and provide bases for diverse productive uses has long been recognized. In a similar manner, the need for energy to raise people out of poverty and fuel growing economies, whilst sustaining mature ones, is a well-established fact. The notion about how these resources are linked and dependent on each other has for a long time gone unnoticed by the broader global community, but not any more. The fact that energy needs water in its production and that water needs energy in order to be extracted, treated and moved is quickly gathering awareness as the demand for diminishing water resources increases.

Simultaneously the demand for energy is projected to grow massively over the next 20 years. The challenges and opportunities tied to this development are great and have been recognised in different ways by major development institutions. The World Economic Forum ranks water supply challenges at number three on their Global Risk Ranking for the coming years. In the UN report titled “Secretary-General’s Initial Input to the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals” (2012), the entire nexus of water, energy and food security is ranked as separate topics on the top three positions for priority areas among member states.

You can read our full paper about water and energy at www.worldwewant2015.org/water/waterresources where you can contribute to the discussion and post your own comments. You can also participate through social media via Twitter using the hashtag #waterpost2015 or visit the Facebook page WaterPost2015.

SIWI encourages everyone to take the opportunity to participate in the consultation on water and energy during January 14-20, 2013, and be part of creating the world we want.

The outcome from the different discussions will be summarised into policy recommendations in a final report that will be transmitted to the High-level Panel on Post-2015 appointed by the UN Secretary General at the end of March.

SIWI’s Torgny Holmgren on Water Resources Management