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World Water Week 2023

Published: 21 Aug 2023 ・ Read time: 5 mins
World Water Week is an annual event that's focused on innovation at a time of unparalleled challenges, as well as an essential collective for conversations about the urgency of water across boundaries.
This year's hybrid event is held at the Waterfront Congress Centre in Stockholm. It runs from the 20th to the 27th of August, welcoming an international audience in the Swedish capital. 
 
This year the event seeks to raise understanding of water issues and promote dialogue and collaboration, ensuring everyone has access to the water they need to live a healthy and productive life, as well as following up on commitments from the UN 2023 Water Conference Agenda.
World Water Week is an important event that helps to make a difference in the lives of millions of people around the world.
First, let's look at some of the important ways that World Water Week will help to address water challenges:
  • It will help raise awareness of water issues and the need for action
  • It can provide a platform for stakeholders to come together and share their experiences and perspectives.
  • It can help to build partnerships and collaborations.
  • It can help to develop and implement new water policies.
  • It can help to track progress and measure the impact of water interventions.
  • It will provide a platform for advocacy and campaigning for water rights.
image of the globe with water at city plumbing

What is the UN Water Conference?

The UN 2023 Water Conference sees the adoption of the Water Action Agenda, representing the voluntary commitments of nations and stakeholders to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets connected to water to meet biodiversity and climate goals.
This year it took place between 22-24th March 2023 and discussed the commitments required to ensure the well-being of both the people and the planet as there are billions across the world still living without safely managed drinking water and sanitation.
 
The conference this year hosted an array of events, such as the initial report launch that highlighted the key sustainable development goals as global data availability increased in 2022 to 59%, which is a significant increase from 42% in 2020 and 34% in 2018.
This is all data used to help better inform policymakers to bend the curve of environmental deterioration and capitalizing on synergies across sustainable development. 
The new analysis also shows how using water more efficiently with conservation efforts showed improvements to freshwater indicators and how cities can negatively impact marine-related ecosystems.
The conference also played host to the Walk of Water Exhibition, which offers a fantastic insight that exhibits the myriads of ways in which freshwater has intersected with culture over several centuries through agriculture, fishing, as well as with nature and the environment. 
The event will have several other side events including Sustainable Lake Management with key speaker Dr Joakim Harlin who is Head of Freshwater Ecosystems Unit, in efforts to provide a catalyst to accelerate global commitment.
image of water pouring over cupped hands at city plumbing

What World Water Week will Offer?

The theme for this year's World Water Week 2023 is "Seeds of Change: Innovative Solutions for a Water-Wise World" - this reflects the need for new and improved ways to manage water, in a world that’s facing increasing water scarcity and climate change.
World Water Week offers an overview of both successful and unsuccessful innovations. Participants will be able to discuss the process of creation itself, such as learning how it happens, the context from which it comes, the external motivations that spark it and the ownership needed to provide its uptake.
A culture of innovation is necessary to drive change. Market share drives innovation in the private sector, but this doesn't apply to the public sector or regulated network industries like water utilities.
     
The week will explore how innovations are implemented to tackle societal challenges and how digital transformation drives progress.
The crucial matter will be identifying contributors, valuing various knowledge, and prioritizing whose issues are addressed in innovation.  
Discussions will also cover how the results of innovations can be made more widely available where they are most needed and will pay special attention to its themes, such as:  
  
  • Water for Health
  • Water for Development
  • Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment
  • Water for Cooperation
  • Water Action Decade 

How is the Data Used?

The data is gathered by a group of Junior Rapporteurs and is used for improving data and science communication as well as involving local and indigenous knowledge, mobilizing finance, implementing holistic solutions and ensuring that water is lifted on the political agenda.
They look ahead to see that innovation will play a critical role in various global processes in the coming years. Innovation is one of the five pillars of the UN’s SDG6 Global Acceleration Framework, which is also an integral part of the other four pillars: finance, governance, capacity development, and data and information.
This gives us a pathway for an inspiring vision for 2050 in which the global water sector is entirely sustainable, with water being at the heart of a decarbonized ecosystem.

FAQs

Why is World Water Week Celebrated?

World Water Week is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of water and to promote sustainable water management; hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute and is a non-profit organization.
 It is a place to discuss the challenges and solutions to water-related problems worldwide and typically hosts a weeklong event full of activities, conferences and workshops.

What is the Importance of World Water Week?

World Water Week is significant as it allows stakeholders from all sectors to come together to discuss the challenges and solutions to water-related problems. 
With the data gathered from Sustainable Development Goal - the week can promote new incentives on new water policies and strategies while tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty. 
Here are two examples of how World Water Week has made a difference in the past:
In 2000, it led to the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals, which oversaw the successful achievement of halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015.
2015 saw the development of the Sustainable Development Goals, which included a target of providing sanitation and safe drinking water for millions by 2030. This demanding target is still ongoing; however, the efforts being made will continue to play a role in its achievement.

What is the Thematic Scope of World Water Week?

World Water Week 2023 will focus on the urgent geopolitical challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, hunger, inequality, and insecurity. This will involve close collaboration with international processes and alignment with all Sustainable Development Goals while incorporating the latest scientific knowledge and best practices worldwide.
We can all play a part in coming together by finding our own solutions to the water challenges we face. If you are interested in participating in World Water Week 2023, you to join and register online for free.
It’s important to remember that saving water is important year-round. Small, deliberate home product choices - such as the Mira Eco Showerhead, or an eco flow-rate tap - can help you save a surprising amount of water (and therefore, money!) over the years.
If you require further advice, then get in touch with our experts or visit your local City Plumbing Branch.

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