1. The High-level Political Forum
In July, water will be centre stage when world leaders gather at the High-Level Political Forum in New York to review progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. We’ll all be watching for outcomes that will determine where the world’s water attention will be focused.
At the end of August, the water community congregates at SIWI’s World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden to discuss and share ideas and solutions on the world’s greatest water-related challenges such as scarcity, quality, and fair access. It is where new thinking on water emerges and where proposals from international processes on climate and the 2030 Agenda evolve into plans and partnerships. This year’s theme is Water, ecosystems and human development.
3. World Water Day 2018 / Stockholm Water Prize Laureate announcement
March 22 is United Nations World Water Day, and in 2018 it goes all-natural with the theme “Nature for Water”. UN-Water will release its report “Nature-based solutions for Water” exploring how working with nature can help us overcome 21st century water challenges.
Also on this day, SIWI will announce the winner of the Stockholm Water Prize. Stay tuned for information on how to watch the announcement live!
4. The Decade on Water for Sustainable Development
The UN officially kicks off the International Decade on Water for Sustainable Development in March – ten years dedicated to highlighting the critical role of water in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The new Decade will focus on how we can manage water resource to achieve the social, economic and environmental objectives of the 2030 Agenda.
5. The 8Th World Water Forum
Coinciding with World Water Day, the 8th World Water Forum will take place in Brasilia between March 18-23. Taking place every three years, this year’s theme is sharing water. The Forum seeks to provide insights on how to better manage the variability of water. Follow @WaterForum8 for updates and information about registration.
6. High level Panel on Water
In March, the High Level Panel on Water will present the outcomes of its initiatives. The panel of 11 sitting Heads of State and Government and one Special Advisor was launched by the former United Nations Secretary General and President of the World Bank Group. We are especially looking forward to the launch of their Principles on Valuing Water, a set of guidelines on how to address the multiple values and meanings that water carries.
7. COP24 in Katowice, Poland
The 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the UNFCCC will continue the vital work to bring the Paris Agreement into implementation. SIWI and its partners in the #ClimateIsWater Initiative will continue to push for the mainstreaming of water in the global climate action agenda through the Water Action Day.
