AGWA at World Water Week
World Water Week 2019 will take place from 25–30 August in Stockholm, Sweden. World Water Week is the annual focal point for the globe’s water issues — bringing together experts from the world’s scientific, business, government and civic communities. It is organized by SIWI. This year's theme is "Water for Society: Including All."
AGWA will host several events leading up to World Water Week (WWW) and convene sessions, panels, and seminars throughout. To find out more on WWW's program, theme, and other areas, please visit www.worldwaterweek.org. Registration is currently open.
On this page we will highlight the events specifically related to AGWA both prior to and throughout the week. The page will be updated as more details and events are finalized. Make sure to check back periodically.
Important AGWA Events in Stockholm
With so many water experts and AGWA members in Stockholm for the week, we often holds several organizational events leading up to WWW. This includes our Annual Members Meeting — now in its ninth year! We will also organize a social dinner in order to let our 1500+ international members get to know one another, network, and reconnect.
AGWA Dinner
On Friday, 23 August AGWA will be organizing an informal, friendly dinner for members of its network. For those people that arrive in Stockholm by Friday, the dinner will be a great opportunity to catch up with old colleagues and make some new friends prior to the Annual Members Meeting and World Water Week. The self-paid dinner will take place at a the Greek restaurant Esperia in the Södermalm region of Stockholm. Please RSVP if you would like to attend.
When: Friday, 23 August; 20:00-22:00
Venue: Esperia; Sankt Paulsgatan 17, 118 46 Stockholm
Ninth Annual Members Meeting
AGWA has had another year of significant growth in membership and expansion of programs since the last Annual Meeting. The meeting will provide a recap of the past year (based around content from the Annual Report) as well as an outline for the year ahead. The goal is to have a dynamic meeting, with activities meant to encourage active participation from AGWA members and to elicit ideas, feedback, and interaction. AGWA is a member-driven network and we want to hear your input!
When: Saturday, 24 August; 14:00-17:00
Venue: Scandic Klara Hotel - Room Stockholm Södra (Floor -1)
Slöjdgatan 7, 111 57 Stockholm
Policy Group Breakfast
The AGWA Policy Group will be holding an informal breakfast gathering during World Water Week. You're encouraged to come by for some company, coffee, and food. The event will be a good opportunity to meet with colleagues outside of the teleconference world! To get an accurate headcount, please make sure to let us know if you will be able to attend.
When: Tuesday, 27 August; 08:00-09:00
Venue: Tele 2, Floor 5 (Inner Circle, East Corner Lounge)
AGWA's World Water Week Events
Below is a list of the official World Water Week events and seminars related to AGWA. In each of these, AGWA serves in a leading role as a convenor, co-convenor, or presenter. To find out about other sessions or search the full list of events, visit https://programme.worldwaterweek.org/. Note that beginning this year, all events will take place in the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm.
Quick Links (jump to date):
Sunday, 25 Aug.
Financing Water Risk Through Nature-Based Solutions: Insurance, Investment, Regulation
Climate change, ecosystems, and water management present new and challenging risk synergies. How can we use an investment, insurance, and regulatory framework that encourages more green or hybrid (green/grey) solutions to emerging water problems, such as flooding, droughts and extreme weather events? How do we incentivize having more green opportunities for risk management? This session aims to address:
• What is the appropriate role for insurance, investment and regulation in the adoption and mobilization of (green) infrastructure for addressing risks from natural hazards?
• What barriers prevent the adoption of green infrastructure for water and climate risk avoidance?
• What are the other opportunities to integrate green infrastructure into investment and risk avoidance portfolios?
• How to ensure that green opportunities are more seriously considered and developed as credible alternatives for new and emerging risks from natural and human hazards?
The outcomes of this event will contribute to a policy brief addressing the opportunities for engagement for the insurance sector will be produced.
This event is intended for city planners, municipal and regional leaders, development agencies and regulators who are interested in implementing NBS at the municipal scale, as well as financiers who are looking for avenues to invest and who can speak to the barriers.
When: Sunday, 25 August; 09:00-10:30
Venue: Room L11
Event website: Click here
Convenors: AGWA / Ambiotek / BDG / CCR / City of Copenhagen / Deltares / Field Factors / French Geological Survey / GeoEcoMar / GERICS / GEUS / ICATALIST / IHE Delft / Instituo Geologico y Minero de Espana / IRSA-CNR / ISKRIVA / Kings College London / NAIAD Project Consortium / Revivo / River Duero Basin Authority / SIWI
Third Forest Water Champions Workshop
*offsite
The first Forest Water Champions workshop in August 2017 resulted in a statement on the interlinkages between forests and water, and the importance of acknowledging them in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The second workshop in August 2018 resulted in a joint statement submission to the Talanoa Dialogue within the UNFCCC COP 24. This year's workshop will focus on the extent to which existing intended nationally determined contributions' (INDCs) acknowledge and consider the forest water linkages, and/or have a systems approach to addresses resilience, climate, mosaic landscapes, and people. What needs to be improved in this regard in order to reach targets for climate change mitigation and adaptation? Following the workshop, organizers will submit a set of recommendations to the UNFCCC for how the NDCs can be improved with regards to forest-water interlinkages supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation.
When: Sunday, 25 August; 09:00-13:00, 13:00-17:00
Venue: SIWI offices
Event website: This is a closed event.
Convenors: SIWI Swedish Water House / FAO / IUCN
Equity in Climate Change Adaptation
Impacts from climate change pose many challenges to water and sanitation development and management. This includes changing patterns of both supply and demand for water resources, affecting function and operations of existing water and sanitation infrastructure, increasing frequency of extreme weather events, and changing ecosystems and their functions. They also alter human migration patterns. Evidence shows that the poor and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable because they can be highly exposed to climate extremes and because their adaptive capacity is often lower. If poorly undertaken, adaptation processes can potentially exacerbate inequalities, causing maladaptation. Undue burden is often placed on women and youth, although these groups also play a key role in achieving successful adaptation. Equitable adaptive capacity building requires addressing not only climate-related risks but also socio-economic structural deficits. Successful adaptation must therefore address dilemmas of equality, many of which are most acute in vulnerable communities across the world. This seminar will take place over three sessions throughout the day.
When: Sunday, 25 August; 11:00-12:30, 14:00-15:30, 16:00-17:30
Venue: Room M3
Event website: Click here for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
Convenors: African Development Bank / AGWA / Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre / SIWI / Women Engage for a Common Future / The World Bank Group
Managing Water for Economic Resilience: De-Risking Is Not Enough