Organised by the Government of Tajikistan jointly with UN institutions as part of the International Year of Water Cooperation, the main objective of the Conference is to contribute to improvement of water cooperation, through advocating the successful policies and best practices, wider public participation, and encouragement of policy makers.

See the full programme and read more on the Conference website.

The 2013 World Water Week report “Cooperation for a Water Wise World – Partnerships for Sustainable Development” is now available.

The report provides input into the discussions at the 2013 World Water Week in Stockholm, which is held under the theme of Water Cooperation: Building Partnerships. The report also explore emerging issues such as the role of information and communications technology in advancing water cooperation, the importance of climate mitigation and adaptation coherence and the interplay between actors in the water, food and energy nexus.

Read and download the report here.

The 2013 World Water Week Report “Cooperation for a Water Wise World – Partnerships for Sustainable Development” provides input into the discussions at the 2013 World Water Week in Stockholm, which is held under the theme of Water Cooperation: Building Partnerships. The editors of the report are Anders Jägerskog, Director, Knowledge Services, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI); Torkil Jønch Clausen, Chair, World Water Week Scientific Programme Committee, SIWI; Karin Lexén, Director, World Water Week & Prizes, SIWI; and Torgny Holmgren, Executive Director, SIWI.

The report focuses on some of the key opportunities and challenges to effective cooperation over transboundary waters; in the private sector and for environmental protection. The authors also explore emerging issues such as the role of information and communications technology in advancing water cooperation; the importance of climate mitigation and adaptation coherence; the interplay between actors in the water, food and energy ‘nexus’; as well as provide new insights to resolve long standing challenges, such as improving coordination and collaboration in the management of freshwater and coastal systems.

The chapters in this report do not necessarily represent the views of SIWI but are contributions from individuals and organisations to the theme of the 2013 World Water Week.

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

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 Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) has appointed Mr. Torgny Holmgren as its new Executive Director. Mr. Holmgren comes most recently from a position as Ambassador and Head of the Department for Development Policy at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. In this interview, he takes the time to talk to Stockholm Water Front about his new role at the helm of SIWI.

Also present at the WEFTEC is this year’s winners of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, Mr. Luigi Marshall Cham and Mr. Jun Yong Nicholas Lim from Singapore, who were honored in the opening session.

SIWI is also part of the Swedish Trade Councils booth, if you have a chance, please stop by booth 8821.

Over two thousand politicians, CEOs, scientists and leaders of international organisations from more than 100 nations are gathering in Stockholm, Sweden, for the annual World Water Week, which this year focuses on “Water and Food Security”.

Today, over 900 million people suffer from hunger, and two billion more face serious health risks from undernourishment. At the same time, 1.5 billion people overeat and over one-third of all food is lost or wasted. Demand for food and fibre is projected to increase by 70 per cent by mid-century and, without intervention, untenable pressure on water resources in many regions in the world will threaten food and water security.

“More than one-fourth of all the water we use worldwide is taken to grow over one billion tons of food that nobody eats. That water, together with the billions of dollars spent to grow, ship, package and purchase the food, is sent down the drain.” said Mr. Torgny Holmgren, Executive Director of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

“Reducing the waste of food is the smartest and most direct route to relieve pressure on water and land resources. It’s an opportunity we cannot afford to overlook,” he added.

In the over 100 sessions set to take place throughout the week, the convening experts will debate and showcase solutions to ensure that the planets limited water resources can meet the needs of growing economies and support a healthy global population. They will also discuss the latest innovations and successful practices to provide clean water and safe sanitation to the over two billion people who live without sustainable access to these basic services. Half of the cases of malnutrition worldwide result from illness and infection from dirty water or unhygienic sanitation.

Participants at the week will also deliberate on issues countries leasing foreign land for agricultural production, trade, human rights, climate change, and the inter-linkages between food, water and energy production. The International Water Resource Economics Consortium (IWREC) will host a Chief Economist Panel debate on how to use economic policy instruments to manage water more efficiently.

“The numbers show that agriculture is a thirsty activity. But that also means that agriculture holds the key to sustainable water use,” said Mr. José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). He added that investment in smallholder farmers is critical to achieve food and water security for all people.

“Throughout the world, 2.6 billion small-scale producers till the land, raise animals and fish. They are the main providers of food in the developing world. If we want them to produce more sustainably, preserving natural resources, adapting to and contributing to the mitigation of climate change, we need to help them. We cannot expect them to do it alone.”

Also speaking at the opening session, Dr. Colin Chartres, Director-General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the 2012 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate, said: “Feeding over 9 billion people by 2050 is possible, but we have to reflect on the cost to the environment in terms of water withdrawals and land resources. Furthermore it will put phenomenal pressure on ecosystem services on which our society depends. Saving water by reducing food waste, increasing productivity, plant breeding and waste water recycling are critical to all of us.”

During the week, H.M. King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden will present the Stockholm Water Prize to the International Water Management Institute, IWMI, for their work to improve agriculture water management, enhance food security, protect environmental health and alleviate poverty in developing countries. Other prizes that will be presented during the week are the Stockholm Junior Water Prize – which is given to one national team from 27 competing nations, and the Stockholm Industry Water Award, which will be presented this year to PepsiCo for their efforts to reduce water consumption in their operations and to help solve water challenges on a broad scale.

About the World Water Week in Stockholm

The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it brings together thousands of experts, practitioners, decision makers and business innovators from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions, please visit  www.worldwaterweek.org

About Stockholm International Water Institute

The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that generates knowledge and informs decision-making towards water wise policy and sustainable development. SIWI performs research, builds institutional capacity and provides advisory services in five thematic areas: water governance, transboundary water management, water and climate change, the water-energy-food nexus, and water economics. SIWI organises the World Water Week in Stockholm and hosts the Stockholm Water Prize, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and the Stockholm Industry Water Award.