DAY2 - Tuesday 22nd of March

The Green PES program has identified six sectors as priorities after a participatory and transparent analysis process, including the Water and Sanitation sector.
The session will discuss (i) the objectives of the Green PES for the water and sanitation sector in a circular economy perspective, (ii) the public policies to be put in place, (iii) the experiences capitalized in other countries and (iv) the investment opportunities to achieve the Green PES objectives for the sector.

The 'Sahel Irrigation Initiative' (2iS) program stemming from the ambition of the Sahel Heads of State, translated into the Dakar Declaration on Irrigation in 2013 aims to accelerate the pace of investments to reach 1,000,000 ha of irrigated areas in the near future. It was welcomed by all stakeholders, as it corresponds to the magnitude of the social, economic and environmental challenges of the Sahel.

Cyanobacteria blooms resulting from the degradation of water quality (eutrophication) in lakes and reservoirs constitute a danger to human health and impact multiple water uses, including drinking water production. In northern countries, which have been confronted with these proliferations for more than 40 years, monitoring of these microorganisms has been set up and actions have been undertaken to (i) limit the dangers for human populations and (ii) fight against these phenomena. In sub-Saharan Africa, this issue is still largely ignored by managers and users of water bodies.

The world is not on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goal targets 6.2 on sanitation and 6.3 on wastewater management. Today, 3.6 billion people lack safely managed sanitation and more than 494 million people still practice open defecation, which is posing serious threats to public health, environment, and economic development.

The session will be an opportunity to analyze and discuss in depth the constraints related to the large financing gaps to support the 2030 roadmap. A review of the weaknesses related to the classic 3T model will also be posed to highlight the weak points that require conceptual and practical adjustments. Most exciting, however, will be the presentation of concrete initiatives for innovation in water and sanitation and IWRM financing, including those based on testing and scaling up solutions involving private sector actors and other non-traditional sources of finance.

Water challenges in countries that suffer from water scarcity have become more complex than before, especially in light of population increases, rising standards of living, and an increase in demand for water from competing sectors. In addition, the effects of climate change and complex cooperation with riparian countries sharing international rivers add more pressure, especially with unilaterally adopted decisions that would increase challenges and threaten the stability and peace of the region.

This session by the Korea Water Forum and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea will share the latest solutions for carbon-neutral smart water management, and provide the framework and direction for the regional cooperation and partnership enhancing climate resilience and achieving sustainable development.

The extensive analysis of gender-related achievements and challenges in the water domain carried out by the Water and Gender working Group led by UNESCO WWAP clearly suggests that - despite advances at international policy-level - progress in the fulfilment of the basic right of gender equality in water and sanitation is not on track. Women remain underrepresented with respect to employment and participation to decision-making at all levels in the water domain.

Develop a global cooperation among governments (local authorities/mayors, parliamentarians, ministers, heads of governments/state), intergovernmental, bilateral and multilateral organizations, financial institutions and non-governmental organizations, water professionals, scientists, policy and decision makers, representatives of water-related sectors and draw attention for protection, prevention and preparation in water and wastewater management and services during pandemic situation to ensure access to safe water, to establish a platform encouraging WASH related entrepreneurial and ope

The groundwater governance and management process involve identifying the required legal, regulatory, and institutional arrangements to establish public guardianship and collective responsibility for groundwater resources, and to introduce technical management measures with stakeholder integration and cross-sector coordination. Due to the diversity and complexity of water problems, it is often challenging to identify the role of groundwater and adequately incorporate it in the decision-making process.