UN 2023 Water Conference & New York Water Week
The UN 2023 Water Conference will be taking place 22-24 March 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York. The purpose of the conference is to review progress on SDG 6, and to "collect commitments, pledges, and actions across all our sectors, industries, and interests, uniting nations, stakeholders, and professionals on actions that help deliver on the water actions included in the 2030 Agenda." The conference will be made up of a series of plenaries, interactive dialogues, and 200 side events at the UN Headquarters in New York City and hundreds more at various offsite locations.
Outside of the UN Conference, the Dutch Government and the City of New York are organizing a full week of events from 18-24 March. New York Water Week (NYWW) aims to support and build momentum for the UN 2023 Water Conference (UNWC) by showcasing game-changing water actions and solutions from across the world through a series of in-person and virtual events. With flexible formats and an inclusive program, NYWW will feature events including film festivals, panels, plenaries, art shows, and workshops.
Water Action Agenda
One of the key outcomes of UNWC will be the development of the Water Action Agenda — the culmination of commitments, pledges, and actions across all sectors and interests that can help deliver on the water actions in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Emphasis is placed on accelerated implementation and improved impact towards achieving SDG 6 and other water-related goals and targets
All stakeholders are invited to submit voluntary commitments to the Agenda via the portal on the UNWC website. This can be done in advance of the conference, or during official conference side events.
Participation and Full Event Programs
UNWC events within the UN Headquarters require advanced registration to participate and attend. The registration period closed in mid-February. Aside from on-site participation at the UN campus, many events will be simultaneously livestreamed for anyone to view. Most events taking place outside the UN campus do not require registration.
The summarized UNWC program is available online here.
The full side event program is available online here.
NYWW represents a hub for hundreds of independently-organized events. Each event has its own means of participating.
For details on how to take part, refer to the event webpages linked in the full NYWW program — available online here.
AGWA Activities & Sessions in New York
AGWA will be involved in numerous events and official sessions within and on the boundaries of the UNWC & NYWW. Below is a current list of events featuring AGWA in an organizing or speaking role. Please check back often as the list will be continuously updated.
Note that all times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Tuesday, 21 March
How Startups and Scaleups are Transforming Water Management Through AI
Join a discussion on how startups and early stage companies are deploying AI to transform water management and improve decision making
Time: 10-11:15 a.m.
Venue: Virtual
Organizers: WaterValue, Atlantean Media, AGWA
Participation: Advanced registration is required through EventBrite.
Wednesday, 22 March
Turning the tide on the freshwater biodiversity crisis
The Global Commission on the Economics of Water will call for a new, collective approach to water and a set of bold actions to secure a just and sustainable water future, and enable water to catalyse rather than thwart the achievement of all the SDGs.
Time: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Venue: Nature Hub (Apella NYC: 450 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016)
Organizers: German NGO Forum on Environment and Development, AGWA, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Plant for the Planet (P4P), Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF), IUCN
Participation: Advanced registration is required through the Nature Hub platform.
Multistakeholder Commitments to the Water Action Agenda - Integrated Water and Climate Solutions – From Science to Decisions to Actions
Multistakeholder partnerships can bring together technical water and climate solutions to link national level decision-making with action on the ground
Time: 12:30-1:45 p.m.
Venue: UN HQ; Conference Room A
Organizers: Water and Climate Coalition, Human Right to Water, Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries of Tunisia, Ministry of Water and Sanitation of South Africa, WMO, FAO, GWP, IFAD, UNDP, UNECE, UNEP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNU, WHO, AGWA, GCF, Global Water Futures Programme at University of Saskatchewan, IDB, WBCSD
Participation: Advanced accreditation to the UNWC is required.
Too much and too little - Accelerating IWRM for climate-resilient water management and ecosystem conservation
The session aims at showcasing how water-related challenges can be tackled, both at national and transboundary level, by strengthening the water-climate interlinkage.
Time: 1:15-2:30 p.m.
Venue: UN HQ; Conference Room 2
Organizers: Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) of the Federal Republic of Germany, Niger Basin Authority (NBA); Ministry for Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Participation: Advanced accreditation to the UNWC is required.
Adapting with Nature: A global call to action on nature-based solutions for water resilience
Time: 2:00-3:15 p.m.
Venue: Nature Hub (Apella NYC: 450 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016)
Organizers: AGWA, TNC, GIZ, IIED, CEO Water Mandate, Water for People, Stanford, Erica Gies, Forest Trends
Participation: Advanced registration is required through the Nature Hub platform.
The Urgent Case for Action: Setting Up the Water Agenda for Resilience
Time: 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Venue: UN HQ; ECOSOC Chamber
Organizers: Government of Malaysia, AGWA, Aither
Participation: Advanced accreditation to the UNWC is required.
Thursday, 23 March
Water for Nature, Nature for Water: Policies, Solutions and Commitments for Sustainable Development
The event will present legal tools and local practices to mainstream the protection of rivers and other water-related ecosystems in decision-making and announce commitments for the Water Action Agenda.
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Venue: UN HQ; Conference Room C
Organizers: IWMI, International Association for Water Law, Ajemalebu Self Help (AJESH), AGWA, Brazilian Knowledge Center on Biodiversity, Brazilian Program on Biodiversity (PPBio), Conservation International, Earth Law, Ecuadorian Rivers Institute, Environmental Law Institute, French Water Academy, French Water Partnership, Geneva Water Hub, and others
Participation: Advanced accreditation to the UNWC is required.
Water as support of livelihood on Earth, a social-ecological resilience approach
Time: 1:15-2:45 pm.
Venue: Permanent Mission of Belgium, 885 Second Ave, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10017
Organizers: Antea Group, AGWA, UNESCO, WMO, GWP, LuxDev, University of Twente, Vito, Join for Water
Water in Focus for NBS for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
Time: 3:30-5 pm.
Venue: EDF, 257 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010
Organizers: Stanford, Environmental Defense Fund, AGWA
Participation: Advanced registration is required through this online form.
Friday, 24 March
NASDAQ: The New Age in Water Investment in an Age of Water Scarcity
This is a comprehensive dialogue and round-table between Wall Street and Main Street with the world’s leading water market experts and innovators about the nexus of water innovation, investment, economics, and global equities.
Time: 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Venue: NASDAQ, 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036
Organizers: UN, NASDAQ, Genesis Systems
Achieving water security in Nepal in a changing climate
This session focuses on the challenges of achieving water security in Nepal within its socio-economic and institutional difficulties in the context of changing climatic.
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Venue: UN HQ; Conference Room 6
Organizers: Government of Nepal, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)-Nepal, the World Bank, AGWA
Participation: Advanced accreditation to the UNWC is required.
Economic Resilience Through Water Resilience: Managing Economies for Uncertainty and Change
This side event will illustrate how a water-centric approach is a prerequisite for economies to go beyond de-risking in order to thrive amid a climate-uncertain future.
Time: 12:30-1:45 p.m.
Venue: UN HQ; Conference Room 8
Organizers: AGWA, Germany: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany: Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), United States: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States: State Department, UK: Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, Netherlands: Ministry for Infrastructure and Water, Spain: Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Asian Development Bank, Australian Water Partnership, Deltares, French Water Partnership, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD ), Veolia, Water Policy Group, Wetlands International, World Bank
Participation: Advanced accreditation to the UNWC is required. The event will be livestreamed on UN Web TV: http://webtv.un.org