SIWI i spänd förväntan! UNESCO och SIWI har under en längre period fört en dialog om behovet av ett så kallat Kategori II center kring ’Vattensamarbete’.

Under 2013, som också av FN utnämnts till det ”Internationella året för samarbete kring vatten”, förväntas UNESCO besluta om den svenska ansökan om att få etablera ett center kring vattensamarbete. SIWI kommer att vara värd för centret och Uppsala Universitet och Göteborgs Universitet är partners. UNESCO driver sitt arbete, bland annat det som rör vattenfrågor, genom etablerandet av centers med olika fokusområden. UNESCOs vattenprogram har under en längre tid arbetat med bland annat ett program som heter PCCP (from Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential), där man tagit fram studier kring ämnet. Den forskning och det policyarbete som SIWI bedriver inom ramen sitt tematiska arbetsområde för gränsöverskridande vatten tillsammans med School of Global Studies, Göteborgs Universitet samt Institutionen för Freds- och Konfliktforskning, Uppsala Universitet, är av stor relevans för UNESCO:s arbete. Ett center kan också ses som en viktig kunskapsbas för det mer praktiskt inriktade ”Shared Waters Partnership”-program som SIWI implementerar på uppdrag av FN:s Utvecklingsprogram (UNDP).

Arbete kring gränsöverskridande vattendrag, samt frågor kring internationellt samarbete, fred, säkerhet och utveckling, har sedan lång tid varit svenska prioriteringar. Sverige har en långvarig tradition av stöd till olika internationella flodområden, i Afrika, Mellanöstern och Asien. Ett UNESCO-Center vid SIWI med fokus på dessa frågor kommer att på ett tydligt sätt markera Sveriges prioritering av dessa frågor, samt också tydliggöra den svenska resursbasens kapacitet vad gäller att arbeta med frågorna. Både UNESCO och SIWI ses som neutrala parter med hög trovärdighet, och har därmed förutsättningar att kunna bli engagerade i olika processer, även i potentiellt konfliktfyllda områden.

On Monday 3 December, the Water and Climate Coalition organized a water session at the “Mountain Day” back to back with the COP18. The seminar, which was titled “Building resilience in mountain water resources and closing the gap between policy and implementation”, drew an audience of both observer organisations and party members, and sought to highlight the importance of integrating discussions on climate and water, and to close the gap between policy and implementation.

Karin Lexén of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the Water and Climate Coalition Secretariat opened the session by stressing the need for taking local knowledge on water management into account in decision making on climate adaptation and mitigation. She also outlined the Water and Climate Coalition priorities for COP18 which included suggestions on a thematic initiative on water under the Nairobi Work Programme, and a greater emphasis on water resources management under the Loss and Damages Work Programme.

Fred Boltz of Conservation International provided participants with an overview over the challenges which climate change imposes on freshwater ecosystems. Mountain regions, which make up 1/3 of the global surface, hold 2/3 of all freshwater resources. As such they are supporting the world population with water. Considering that climate change brings changes in water availability and variability, preserving freshwater ecosystems is key to climate resilience. In particular, Fred stressed the need for infrastructure to be flexible to climatic variation and to be designed so as not to disrupt ecosystems.

Mats Eriksson, also from SIWI, has previously worked in the Himalaya region. In his presentation he brought up the crucial issue of flood mitigation infrastructure. An often overlooked measure, many of the structures put in place are not adapted to local conditions and are poorly maintained and governed. This can have disastrous consequences – one example is the breach of embankments in Koshi Basin in 2008, an accident which killed 7000 people and displaced another 3,6 million. In order to create infrastructure that better protects lives and livelihoods, Mats highlighted the need to build on local knowledge and to strengthen capacities in order to ensure good and transparent governance.

“If the glaciers disappear, Pakistan is heading for disaster”. Those were the words of Pervaiz Amir of the Global Water Partnership and the Pakistan delegation to the UNFCCC. Pakistan is relying heavily on mountain water resources, and is as such vulnerable to climate change. It is estimated that the country’s water resources will decrease by 40% until 2050/2060 due to climate change. Pervaiz pointed out that there is a small number of countries in the world which are particularly vulnerable and needs support in order to be able to adapt to climate change. This is reflected in the UNFCCC process, which Pervaiz describes as “frustration with hope”.

Bai-Maas Taal of AMCOW warned that this event is speaking to the already converted, and that discussions on science and policy need to move out from side events and back to back seminars and into the UNFCCC process. He urged for the outcomes from today’s seminar to be transmitted to the negotiators at COP18. We cannot work in silos, and science needs to be translated into political language in order to be adopted in decision making.

This day might have been dedicated to mountains, but when it comes to water the world is interconnected. As Bai-Maas tall pointed out: The small island states struggling with rising sea levels might experience climate change very differently to mountain regions. But sea level rise is a consequence of melting glaciers. The world is facing a common challenge, and we should all speak with one voice.
 

A new SIWI report was launched yesterday at the World Water Week. The report analyses the information in SIWI’s Transboundary Water Management Database. Ms. Kyungmee Kim, Programme Officer at SIWI and author of the report presented the database and the main findings from the analysis.

The report shows that most regional and international TWM actors are working in Africa, the most popular basins being the Nile, Volta and Mekong. Work on Transboundary rivers still dominates, and other types of basins such as Large Marine Ecosystems and Aquifers receive little attention. Activities most commonly aim to enhance water management and efficiency thereby promoting maximized economic and social welfare. Though conflict prevention and ecological sustainability are often highlighted as a key objective for TWM in academic literature, the report found that they are not as prominent in the information collected in the database.

After Kyungmee’s presentation Mr Jermemy Bird, former CEO of the Mekong River Commission, congratulated SIWI for creating the database and report. The database is a very useful tool for river basin management. He said that hopes that SIWI continues to develop the database so the information keeps updated and relevant also in the future.

On the second day of the World Water Week, we brought together NGOs, policymakers and international negotiators to discuss adaptation to climate change at the local level. We wanted to discuss how achievements in the UN climate negotiations can be translated into concrete actions on the local level. But the strongest outcome of the seminar really was that there needs to be an information flow from the ground level and up. It is also vital to exchange good practices between developing countries that are struggling to adapt to and cope with climate change.

David Molden, Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) showed how people in the Himalayas are trying new crops and approaches to adapt to rising temperatures.

Mohammed Younis Khan from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme had travelled several days from the Chitral Valley to share his experience on how glacial entrapped valleys in Pakistan manage their water through a community-led governance structure plugging into the region’s customary laws. Roy Anunciacion, Coordinator at the People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty explained how farmers in Uganda adapt their own practices by improvising local irrigation and planting trees that conserve water. And Joanna Elliott from the African Wildlife Foundation showed how the rapidly disappearing Mau forest in Kenya is now being restored as a result of the involvement of local communities in the reforestation and the government’s firm goal to restore Kenya’s forests.
Ambassador Bo Kjellén pointed out that the UNFCCC climate negotiations is not the real world, but only a projection of it, and that these examples of local struggles are continuously needed for negotiators to hear in order to remember what they are fighting for.

I’m circulating in and out of the three office rooms of the World Water Week and Prizes, as well as the one of SIWI:s communications staff. There is a lot going on at the moment and there is a slightly suspicious calmness and concentration overall. Everywhere else, people are returning from vacations and are now starting to focus on the World Water Week in Stockholm. Practical issues such as dress code, tickets, dietary requirements and speakers’ registration are being double-checked by our delegates.

The World Water Week and Prizes team has been working towards this for a year and throughout the summer. We are so well prepared, but dreams about how the week’s well-oiled processes will work are starting to come. If the sense of control is due to increased routine or an increase in staff since last year is difficult to say, but the fact of the matter is that one colleague has left and four are carrying out their very first World Water Week so routine does not explain it all. As a, by now experienced, team member I can feel the anticipation increasing and the team spirit lifting. This is the core of the World Water Week, the secretariat that do their utmost to make everyone attending our important conference have a pleasant, learning and fun time, whether or not they are participating for the first time. World Water Week delegates will see the professionalism of this group, their dedication and eagerness.

The programme is packed - jam-packed. We have so many meetings, seminars and events that finding time to reflect will be impossible during the week, we just have to go with the flow. In all my time with SIWI I have still not sat through a full seminar, and I envy the delegates that can pick and choose from all the different sessions and get to engage in discussions with convenors, speakers, presenters and colleagues. Then again, I will be able to walk through the venue, checking in on the sessions and – hopefully – see all the parts come together. I don’t have bad dreams, I know the World Water Week will be a success.

How do we alleviate poverty and meet the needs of a growing population in a world with finite natural resources?

This crucial question underpinned our dialogue on how to achieve a more sustainable use of water at the United Nations Global Compact's Nordic Network meeting in Stockholm on 24-25 April. The UN Global Compact assembles businesses committed to ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. This specific two-day meeting gathered members of the Nordic Network and over a hundred company representatives took part in the intensive dialogue. I was invited as a panelist in a session on water, ecosystems and companies. In addition to SIWI, Skanska and Xylem presented their work on water issues.

Water needs to be integrated as a cross-cutting theme in any sustainable business model. There was consensus in the panel that with today's increasing competition over scarce water resources, we risk depleting a resource that lies at the very core of the green growth.  Due to climate change, more than 3 billion people might be living in water-stressed countries by 2025. If the present trends continue, 2 out of 3 persons on Earth will live under water stressed conditions just 13 years from now.

With improved understanding of the acute need for more sustainable water use comes a responsibility to act. Fortunately, there are many good examples of businesses leading the way by incorporating water in more "water-wise" models. One such initiative is the Sweden Textile Water Initiative (STWI), consisting of SIWI and 32 leading companies in the textile and leather sector that have developed joint guidelines for sustainable water management "from thread and leather to the readymade product". These companies take on an important holistic perspective on water by including its impact throughout the supply chain.

After presenting STWI's work, several companies approached me and said that they would be interested in engaging in similar initiatives. There seemed to be an overall agreement that this is an interesting approach to collaborating on water issues. The future will tell to what extent, and exactly how, the participants of the session will work actively on water issues - but one thing is clear and that is that the "business of business" is no longer just business in the traditional sense of generating shareholder value. Today, businesses are urged to - and to an increasing extent - willing to, take greater responsibility for contributing to a more sustainable use of natural resources to support a more "water wise" world. 

Josephine Gustafsson, SIWI

Mitt namn är Melika och jag går i åttonde klass på Europaskolan. I en vecka har jag praoat på Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). Det är ett policyinstitut som söker hållbara lösningar på världens snabbt ökande vattenproblem. SIWI bedriver projekt, forskning för att främja en hållbar utveckling. En av SIWIs avdelningar heter Swedish Water House (SWH). SWH skiljer sig lite från SIWI genom att de jobbar framför allt med svenska aktörer medan SIWI har internationella kontakter. Jag har bistått i arbetet med en av våra klustergrupper som tittar på gränsöverskridande vattenförvaltning, bland annat med att uppdatera information i deras databas. Jag har även varit med på möten och skrivit protokoll. SIWIs kontor ligger vid Sergels torg. Det är en väldigt fin och rund byggnad med en häftig och unik arkitektur. Tanken bakom mitt val av praoplats var främst att jag ville göra något kul som ändå skulle vara en samhällstjänst och att jag skulle lära mig någonting av det. Jag vet att jag har kommit rätt och jag har trivts på SIWI och fått en bild av vad jag vill bli i framtiden. Jag har inte så väldigt mycket erfarenhet än, men jag antar att alla på SIWI känner att de verkligen gör en skillnad, vilket är något positivt.

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The main theme for the 6th World Water Forum was "Time for solutions" and one of the sub-themes dealt with at the thematic sessions was "Respond to climate and global changes in an urbanizing world". The sub-themes under the 6th World Water Forum were, however, not only themes developed and discussed at the Forum as such, but they were prepared during an ongoing process initiated after the 5th WWF in Istanbul 2009 and leading up to the 6th WWF. The process concerned the Water and Climate-theme identified that water management would require holistic and multidisciplinary responses to the increasingly complex challenges, including those linked to responses to climate and global changes. Hence, under the theme seven different targets were identified with different target-and-solution-group coordinators, which would all contribute to the process.

The issue of Water and Climate Change was debated and discussed during high level political round tables, such as the closed session on "Adaptation to Climate Change" convened by the National Water Commission of Mexico, CONAGUA, the Jordan Ministry of Water and Irrigation, and the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning. This Roundtable resulted in a set of Recommendations on

• Improving water governance horizontally as well as vertically;
• Improving water management financing, including by a mainstreaming of funding strategies; and
• The need to ensure for decision making under uncertainty, in combination with no regrets strategies as key components of the enabling environment to manage water resources.

The three convening countries and other stakeholders “commit to build the consensus and outcomes of this roundtable into ongoing processes, such as the UNFCCC and the Rio+20 Conference”.

One of the high level panels was “Water Debate: Increasing Resilience to Climate Change: What is the Role of Water Storage”, which included panelists Maria Mutagamba, Minister of Water and Environment, Uganda, Gabriel Azavedo, Director of Sustainability, Odebrecht Energy, Brazil, and Rachel Kyte, Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank and the former key water person at the World Bank and one of the initiators to the World Commissions on Dams, now professor of Environmental Engineering at Harvard University, John Briscoe. The panel discussed the role of man-made water storage as part of a solution for building resilience to changing water futures. However, the discussions revealed not very much of new suggestions.

There were also side events, such as the one on “Improving Water Resources Management Through the Global Framework for Climate Services /GFCS)” convened by WMO, and regional sessions such as the one convened by the Korea Water Forum on "Water Education Center for Sustainable Future: Meeting Challenges of Climate Change in Northeast Asia", and the session by Inter-American Development Bank and Mexico National Water Commission (CONAGUA): "Top-Down or Bottom-Up Approaches to Water-Based Climate Change Adaptation in the Americas: the 'Chicken and Egg' Syndrome", all discussing suggested solutions to water adaptation to climate change. Also the high level roundtable on the "Future of Water Desalination" suggested more concrete solutions.

Among the key events under the thematic sessions on "Respond to climate and global changes in an urbanizing world" was the one on "Building Blocks for Integrating Water into the Climate Regime - Raising the Profile of Water in the Global Climate Discourse" convened by Water and Climate Coalition/SIWI. This session, with contributions from among others Freshwater Action Network, CONAGUA Mexico, BRAC University Bangladesh, UNFCCC secretariat and the Unit for Adaptation to Climate Change, EC, in a panel discussion convened by Karin Lexén, SIWI, agreed that water expertise needs to be represented where decisions are made. The chairperson to the UNECE Convention on the 'Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes', suggested that as that convention is now open also for partners outside UNECE, its third workshop on "Water and Adaptation to Climate Change in Transboundary Basins: Making adaptation work" to be held in Geneva, 25-26 April 2012 might be a useful opportunity for following-up and intensifying the discussions towards a more pertinent place for water on the UNFCCC agenda.

Governance is crucial in achieving efficient, sustainable and fair water distribution and delivering adequate sanitation services. However, there is no blueprint, no simple formula for success to can be followed to ensure good governance in the water sector. The complexity of institutional and governmental structures calls for diverse approaches to achieve good governance.

The thematic process of the 6th World Water Forum reflects this understanding of the importance of good governance: The UNDP Water Governance Facility at SIWI (WGF) and the Water Integrity Network (WIN), with support from Transparency International (TI), joined efforts to place the crucial issue of integrity and transparency on the agenda at the World Water Forum. Two targets related to the topic of good governance were subsequently developed aiming at achieving wider use of corruption risk assessments and diagnostic studies and clear mechanisms for transparent information sharing, including budget transparency.

On the morning of March 15, visitors of the World Water Forum were invited to attend the joint WGF and WIN session on integrity and transparency in the water sector, to listen to various partners and network members sharing their experiences in promoting water integrity and good governance. It was a lively session with a diverse and interesting selection of case studies from Africa, Europe and Asia, which inspired as well as incited water stakeholders to take action to improve integrity and transparency, with a view to reduce corruption, in the water sector. The presenters shed light on what can be done to reach our targets. One of the presenters, Babatope Babalobi from the West Africa WASH Journalists Network reminded the audience of the critical role of journalists as watchdogs for accountable behavior in the WASH sector. Despite the highly sensitive issue and the dangerous working environment, Babatope and his network continue to improve the quality and accessibility of public information in the sector.

A high-level panel of mayors, bilateral donor representatives, public utility and an inter-governmental organisations discussed how political commitment to good governance and integrity in the water sector can be achieved. The audience had the opportunity to learn what concrete steps have already been taken to move forward.

The initiatives taking place at the grassroots level need to be complemented and directed by adequate policies. It is not so much about a lack of tools and methodologies to reduce corruption and improve accountability in the water sector - the challenge is to scale up their implementation.

The activities that took place at the World Water Forum present an important step in a long-term process which will require continuously raising awareness and joining efforts for improved water governance and integrity.
 

Marseille is nice. Another day with nice weather and intersting discussions. SIWI has been very active - today for example a new report on land aqcusitions and transboundary water management was launched that received a lot of attention and interest both from media as well as forum participants. The topic is new interesting and an emerging and important area that requires much more attention. The water aspect in the new land deals have largely been forgotten (or ignored) and there is a need to include water aspects in the land contracts. A land investment is a water investment.

Listen to Anders Jägerskog's radio interview here, "Leasing Land, Leasing Water".

SIWI booth at the 6th World Water Forum

 
SIWI deltar i över 20 seminarier under det 6e World Water Forumet i Marseille, 12-17 mars. Om du vill veta vilka, se vår flyer. Under konferensen i Marseille passar SIWI på att sända några viktiga budskap inför toppmötet om hållbarhet i Rio de Janeiro, Rio+20. Budskapen handlar om att framtida energibehov kräver en bättre vattenresurshantering, vatteneffektiviteten i jordbruket måste öka, kunskap om vattenresurser måste användas i klimatanpassningsarbetet, stödet till samarbete kring vatten mellan länder måste stärkas, och slutligen, att beslutsfattande kring vatten måste bli mer rättvist och byggas på starkare deltagande av intressenter. Läs budskapen i sin helhet här.

The water community has taken significant steps in the right direction at COP 17 in Durban. Despite a very small team, the Water and Climate Coalition was able to follow the discussions of our key issues; the continuation of the Nairobi Work Programme, the negotiations on the Adaptation Committee and the Green Climate Fund. We have had great help and support by members from FAN, CI and Green Cross and a very good collaboration with our partners GWP and CONAGUA. We have been able to support a major push by a number of parties, and we will most likely see Mexico, LDCs and African countries speak up for the cause of water.

On December 3rd and December 6th WCC, African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), African Union Commission (AUC), African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Department of Water Affairs, (DWA) South Africa and Global Water Partnership (GWP) arranged Water, Climate and Development Day events. December 3rd was an all-day event and December 6th was a high level panel where key messages from the 3rd were highlighted and discussed. Both meetings took place in the Africa Pavilion at COP 17 in Durban.

Africa Pavilion, December 3rd

Both events were well attended, with over 100-140 persons in the audience, and we received numerous positive and spontaneous comments regarding the content and the value of the topic and discussions.

Water, and its interconnectedness with Climate Change and how this is addressed and managed on the development and funding agendas, is a theme which clearly is on the rise. The concluding statements of the dignitaries sent us off knowing that we had addressed the key questions that make waters case in the climate context AND that the collaboration between WCC and numerous African and international institutions had successfully ensured and, established, the issue of water on the climate agenda.

For the fourth year in a row, the Swedish Water House, together with the International Water Association, yesterday arranged the Young Water Professionals seminar at the World Water Week in Stockholm International Water Association at the World Water Week in Stockholm. One thing that we wanted to change this year was to give more time for discussions since these have proved to be very interesting, full of creative ideas, thoughts and perspectives. Our experience has been that the time for discussions often has felt too short, thus, we made an exercise for the YWPs to work with- hoping for a more interactive seminar. The exercise the participants were given was to rebuild the city of Banda Aceh that was shattered by the tsunami in 2004. How do we build a city that provides for its people while at the same time being socially and environmentally sustainable? What are the best solutions for water supply, sanitation, energy and food production and livelihoods, considering the local context? The participants were divided into these different areas to try to answer this question. When planning their city they both had to consider the overall challenges that Rose-Osinde Alabster (UNICEF) had presented in the beginning of the seminar such as climate change, population growth and unsustainable resource use and the local context (political setting, climate, natural resources available, culture, gender and so on) described by Alastair Morrison (WGF at UNDP).

It soon became clear for the participants that the real challenge was to get all these systems working together. The different systems are largely dependent on the same resources and if not coordinated can easily result in competition for financing, water etc. The young water professionals had many ideas on how these different systems could be integrated. The sanitation group suggested that wastewater could be used both for biogas production, and as fertilizers for agriculture. The water supply group had thought about creating a system that did not use up too much energy. The food production and livelihoods group suggested household gardening as a solution for Aceh and had thought about how to make use of wastewater and rainwater for these gardens. Although there was a realization in all groups that some trade-offs had to be made, the focus was on solutions. Using a case to work with was very much appreciated by the young water professionals. It was a great way of getting the young water professionals engaged -the room was buzzing of ideas! Hopefully, we’ll try something similar next year.

See more pictures from this seminar at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldwaterweek/sets/72157627367549817/

Karin Glaumann, SWH 

COP16 proved to be a good meeting for water. For the first time, “climate people” and “water people” seemed to reach if not a mutual understanding then at least a first attempt to start discussions on how the two perspectives can be merged. The highlight came on Saturday December 4th when six countries came up with a formal proposal to start addressing water under the scientific advisory body under the climate convention.
For the Water and Climate Coalition COP16 proved to be two busy weeks filled with meetings with negotiators, partner organisations and interested parties. In addition, the Coalition arranged several public events. Below is an attempt to report back from these sessions.

Side Event Dec 6th: Water, Climate and Development: Linking up development agendas and putting water security first.
The Water and Climate Coalition, the Global Water Partnership and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung organised the joint side event “Water, Climate and Development: Linking up development agendas and putting water security first”. Moderated by Ms Letitia Obeng, Chair of the Global Water Partnership, the six speakers on the panel shared their different views on meeting the water, development and climate challenges.
- Mr Bai Mass Taal, Executive Secretary of AMCOW, presented an intivitative by GWP and AMCOW which will support African countries in adapting to climate change.
- Mr Anders Berntell of SIWI and the Water and Climate Coalition presented the Coalition’s work and laid out the proposed work programme on water and climate.
- Ms Ursula-Shäfer Preuss, Vice President of ADB brought an Asian perspective on climate change, highlighting the challenges of rapid urbanisation and growing cities.
- Mr Rolando Castro of FAN stressed the need to enable and preserve healthy ecosystems in order to build resilience.
- Ms Kulthuom Omari of HBF  spoke on the gender perspectives on water.
- Mr Aart van der Horst from the Dutch delegation brought insights and perspective from inside the negotiations.

The event drew an audience of close to 100 people and provoked an interesting debate on diverse water and development issues. Questions from the audience included concerns on private sector and trade interest in water, questions on how to meet the need for capacity building on water change, and input on how to spread the word on the Coalition’s proposed work programme.


The Side Event panel.

Press Conference, Dec 6th: “Putting Water Security First”.
The press confrence arranged on Monday December 6th presented the Water and Climate Coalition with an opportunity to present its work to an audience of journalists present at COP16 in Cancun. The panel of speakers from the coalition made efforts to explain the linkages between water resources and climate change. Two days earlier, on Saturday 4 December, six countries at COP16 had made a formal request to start discussions on water under the SBSTA – the body which provides scientific and technical support to the climate convention. This development which is much welcomed by the Coalition was also commented upon during the press conference. Prior to the press conference a press release had been sent out. 


Karin Lexén and Hannah Stoddart at the press conference.

High-level panel, December 8th
On behalf of the Water and Climate Coalition, Mr Anders Berntell of SIWI gave a presentation at the high-level panel which marked the closing of the Dialogs on water and climate. The session, which was held in the Mexican pavilion at COP16 presented an impressive line-up of high profile speakers within the global water, environment, investment and development communities.
Mr Anders Berntell spoke on water as being the blood stream of our planet, fundamental to all functions of society. He also stressed the need for putting water on the global climate agenda and expressed the Coalition’s support for the proposal put forward by six countries at COP16 earlier this week to start a discussion on water under the climate convention.
Other speakers further highlighted the cross cutting nature of water and called for strengthening of institutions, enhanced focus on capacity building and more research and data – measures which would enable the water community to better face the challenges connected to climate change.

By: Lovisa Selander, Stockholm International Water Institute

The Cluster Group on Water and Rights launched their policy brief “The Human Right to Water and Sanitation - Securing access to water” for basic needs at World Water Week 2011. The UN Independent Expert on the Rights to Water and Sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque, came by the book launch event and gave support to the work of the cluster group as well as stressed the importance of the newly published policy brief. The policy brief can be downloaded here.
 

Catarina de Albuquerque, the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, Gunilla Björklund, independent consultant and expert and Åsa Elfström international water expert Svenska Kyrkan and Ann-Mari Karlsson, SWH/SIWI.
 
 

Preparations for Bonn Climate Change Talks June 2010 is in full spin here at the office; text editing, ordering catering, putting together invitations, inviting speakers, briefing speakers, contacting media, writing press releases, talking to delegates as well as coordinating ourselves and our partners all around the world. 

Swedish Water House is involved in the negotiation through SIWI and together with Stakeholder Forum and UN-Water, we are planning a Water Day in Bonn on 2 June. The Water Day is a follow up to last year’s Water Day arranged during the climate negotiations in Barcelona, 2nd - 6th November, 2009. The main objective is to keep up the pressure for the integration of water and climate policy in the negotiations towards COP16, as well as to discuss the vital and possible pathways on how to implement water resource management to cope with climate change.

As always during the negotiations a lot of things are going on and everyone has a lot on their agendas. The challenge for us the following two weeks is to be as sharp and concise as possible in our message and deliver concrete examples on how to integrate water into the negotiated texts.

by Hanna Wolf 

Rummet var fyllt till bristningsgränsen igår kväll när SIWI, Stakeholder Forum och Global Water Partnership anordnade sitt gemensamma Side Event. Fler än 200 personer hade kommit för att höra mer om hur man kan bygga broar mellan vatten- och klimatsektorerna.

John Matthews (WWF), Hannah Stoddart (Stakeholder Forum), Karin Lexen (SIWI), Ainun Nishat of the Bangladesh Delegation and IUCN, Mike Muller (GWP)

Moderatorn Mike Muller från GWP betonade att vattensektorn sitter på kunskap och erfarenhet som är värdefull och bör tas till vara vid framtida klimatanpassningsprojekt. Att hantera osäkerheter i vattenflöden och att värdera risker förknippade med vattentillgång- och försörjning är redan en del av det dagliga arbetet för ingenjörer och hydrologer över hela världen.

Publiken deltog med diskussion, engagemang och åsikter kring olika aspekter på länken mellan klimat och vatten. Många verkade redan insatta i frågan, och Hannah Stoddart från Stakeholder Forum/GPPN varnade för att vattensektorn har lätt för att fastna i interna diskussioner. ”Vattensektorn måste prata klimatsektorns språk”, menade hon, och visade hur man genom mindre tillägg kan få vattenresurshantering att integreras i förhandlingstexten kring anpassning.

Karin Lexén från Stockholm International Water Institute menade att det inte bara behöver vara en svaghet att vattensektorn står enad, och påminde om de många ”statements” och projekt som har växt fram under möten och samarbeten under de senaste året. Några exempel är Stockholm Statement från World Water Week i Stockholm och ”Danish Dialogue on land and water management”.

Lovisa Selander mitt i COP-15
 

av Lovisa Selander, SIWI

Ungdomar, aktivister utklädda till rymdmän och träd, journalister, forskare och sammanbitna förhandlare från 192 länder. Alla samsas de inne på det enorma konferenscentrat på Bella Center. COP-15 är stort som en mindre stad och bjuder på större mångfald än Roskildefestivalen.

Att registrera samtliga anländande och få dem igenom säkerhetskontrollen är inget litet företag, och de av oss som anlände redan igår kväll rapporterade om timlånga köer utanför entrén. I morse hade dock kön krympt avsevärt - både säkerhetskontroll och ackreditering klarades av på en dryg halvtimme. COP-15 markerar upploppet på flera månaders arbete med projektet GPPN, Global Public Policy Network. Under de senaste månaderna har SIWI tillsammans med organisationen Stakeholder Forum varit närvarande vid förhandlingarna i Bonn, Bangkok och Barcelona med syftet att integrera vattenfrågan i klimatdiskussionen. Under klimatkonferensen i Köpenhamn kommer vi att vara involverade i flera aktiviteter.

Idag höll vi en press-briefing för ett sextiotal journalister och observatörer. Det hela filmades av UNFCCC, så vill ni se hur det gick kan ni göra det här. Imorgon är det dags för ett Side-Event tillsammans med Global Water Partnership och Stakeholder Forum: COP-15 and Beyond: Bridging the Water and Climate Change Agenda.

av Lovisa Selander, SIWI

Fredagen den 22 maj ska jag möta upp 20 st nervösa och förväntansfulla ungdomar på Stockholms Centralstation. Det är då dags för finalhelgen i Svenska Juniorvattenpriset.

Den 7 april var det deadline för att anmäla sig till tävlingen Svenska Juniorvattenpriset. En jury bestående av representanter från bland andra SMHI, Albaeco, Ramböll och forskare från universitet samt representanter från skolvärlden, valde ut 9 projekt att gå till final i tävlingen. Finalisterna kommer till Stockholm den 22 till 24 maj. Då väntar en helg med mycket spännande att lära, trevliga evenemang och inte minst en hel del spänning i tävlingsmomentet t.ex. juryintervjuerna men inte minst prisceremonin. Helgen avslutas med prisceremonin under vilken vinnaren tillkännages. Vinnaren belönas med en glasskulptur och 30 000 kronor som fördelas lika mellan vinnaren och dennes skola för att stimulera till framtida vattenprojekt. Vinnaren kommer sedan vara Sveriges bidrag i en internationell final.

Svenska Juniorvattenpriset är en av många (drygt 30) nationella tävlingar som pågår världen över. Vinnarna i dessa tävlingar får representera sina respektive länder i den internationella finalen Stockholm Junior Water Prize som genomförs under världsvattenveckan i Stockholm i augusti.

Mer att läsa om 2009 års finalister i Svenska Juniorvattenpriset finns i olika lokalpress. Klicka här för länkar.

av Annika Börje

The weather in Istanbul is improving. Still cold and a little windy but more sun than early on in the week. The spirit is still high but towards the end of an intense week participants are starting to look a little drained.

Despite going towards the end of the Forum, yesterday’s and today’s session on transboundary waters brought up a lot of emotions and resulted in intense discussion. Acting as a co-chair of the introducing transboundary session on basin management and hydrosolidarity it almost felt as if I was caught in the cross-fire. Seemingly semantic questions on whether to use terms such as ‘international waters’ or ‘transboundary waters’, ‘sharing water’ or ‘sharing benefits’ were areas for passionate debate. The organizers of the transboundary theme of the week – UNESCO and INBO – certainly face a challenge in summarizing the key results and outcomes. One does not envy them.

Last night I also chaired a session organized by the Palestinian Water Authority in which an option for an inclusive (including all five riparians – Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory) Jordan Basin future may look that, over time, will put all parties better off in terms of water availability. While the concept is thought-provoking and received positive responses from various parts of the basin the idea may well be hostage to political developments. This event will be followed up at a seminar during the World Water Week in Stockholm in August.

Today I talked at a session organized by the Euphrates Tigris Initiative for Co-operation (ETIC) about so called ‘track two’ initiatives and presented the Transboundary Waters Opportunity (TWO) Analysis that SIWI has been developing with colleagues in Namibia (PRA) and South Africa (CSIR). The presentation gained a positive response and the conceptual framework of the TWO analysis will be utilized in by the ETIC network.

Tomorrow - the final day of the Forum – coincides with the UN World Water Day with the theme – Shared water – shared opportunities where SIWIs Executive Director Anders Berntell will take part.
The days here start early and have a tendency to end very late. I do not foresee that this day will be any different. I am quite happy that it is only one day left…..
 

by Anders Jägerskog, Project Director, SIWI

A beautiful setting on the banks of the Golden Horn, tight security, and an opening session involving the President of Turkey and other royal and political guests punctuated the opening day of the largest gathering of the water world at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey. After years of preparations, the Forum brings together many thousands of people with a stake in how we use, manage and govern our water resources. Amid protests outside and inside the venue, the opening plenary keynote speakers highlighted the path to Istanbul and the achievements that have been made since the first Forum in Morocco in 1997. Water prizes were awarded, introductions by the hosts and organizers were provided and an official welcoming from the President of Turkey was given.


© Celine Dubreuil

As the opening plenary ended, so started a week of topic sessions, side events, exhibitions, high level summits, and of course valuable networking time. One of the more impressive components of the Forum is the level of high level political buy-in. Heads of State and Ministers from a number of countries are present to discuss and debate water-related issues, with one aim to develop a Ministerial Declaration by the end of the week. Given the size of the venue which stretches across the water, the number of participants and the ever-enticing charms of the surrounding city, we at the Swedish Water House and SIWI hope that we can make all those connections, capitalize on linking with our partners, talk with many visitors to our Swedish Water House booth and of course learn some things along the way.

The week has started well for the Global Environmental Flows Network, or Eflownet, which had its inaugural steering committee meeting in the IUCN booth. Members of the steering committee met to formalize the structure of our network and agree on the way forward to ensure that the network continues to grow and develop. Commitment is key from all the partner organizations involved, as is making the most of venues such as the World Water Forum and World Water Week to bring in new perspectives and partners. Stay tuned to www.eflownet.org!
 

by Michael Moore, project manager for the World Water Week in Stockholm