As always, FAO will have a major presence at the annual World Water Week in Stockholm , which this year focuses on 'Water for Sustainable Growth'. A schedule of FAO AGL organized and co-organized events is as follows:

Wastewater reuse for enhanced food and non-food value chains: 
Sunday 28 August, 11:00-12:30.


Organizers: German Institute for Development Policy, FAO, UNEP, UNU-FLORES. 



The seminar will explore the opportunities of using wastewater and organic waste within multifunctional land-use systems for the production of food and energy crops in urban transition zones in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this approach the wastewater is treated in a target-oriented manner to be used for irrigation and nutrient supply of the respective land-use, considering hygienic as well as environmental aspects. Treating wastewater in this way is cost-effective and reduces the demand for freshwater and fertilizers, which is particularly important for small-holder farmers. Besides directly contributing to food and energy security, the multi-functional land-use systems will reduce the removal and collection of biomass (for heating and cooking) in the region. This will contribute to sustaining soil fertility and soil-related ecosystem services. Using wastewater in this way will provide opportunities to enhance/develop the value chain of all products (food crops, energy crops, energy from wastewater etc.). Capacity development at multiple levels is required to implement such an approach in a sustainable manner, which would address major issues of the Sustainable Development Goals.




FAO Global Framework: Coping with Water Scarcity in a Changing Climate. 
Monday 29 August, 14:00-16:00.


Organizers: FAO 



Securing access to water – especially in water-scarce countries – is crucial for achieving food security and improving rural and peri-urban livelihoods. Access can be limited by physical water scarcity – the lack of water of sufficient quantity or quality, or over-allocation; economic water scarcity – the lack of adequate infrastructure due to financial, technical or other constraints; or institutional water scarcity – the lack of an appropriate institutional framework or capacities for ensuring the reliable, secure and equitable supply of water. Significant improvements are possible in the ways in which water is used to produce food. For example, the choice of crop, the management practices in place, the number and types of animals raised, the irrigation technologies employed, the spatial distribution of production, and social habits (e.g. the distribution and consumption of food, and diet choices) can all reduce overall demand for water in agriculture and protect water quality. 

A main goal of Coping with water scarcity in agriculture: a global framework for action in a changing climate is to build partnerships, for example between water stakeholders (both public and private) at the national level; among countries (for example between collaborative bodies and mechanisms at the river basin level); and between countries and key international bodies involved in agricultural water management (e.g. development organizations of the United Nations and others; financing institutions; and non-governmental and civil-society organizations). 




Endangered Ecosystems: Public-private-civil society solutions. 


Tuesday 30 August, 14:00-15:30.


Organizers: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development; SIWI; Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management; Water Research Commission and We Effect



This session aims to explore cross-sectoral solutions to preserve and restore ecosystems and the crucial services they provide. The private sector, who has traditionally been criticised for sacrificing the environment, is now becoming recognized as an essential part of the solution. The same can be said for farmers, who, in particular in arid and semi-arid regions, consume large amounts of water, often at the expense of ecosystem integrity, but are now increasingly being involved in restoration measures . We will explore innovative, and potentially highly effective solutions involving the private and public sectors, and civil society.





Monitoring water and sanitation in the 2030 Agenda


Tuesday 30 August, 14:00-15:30. 


Organizers: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development; SIWI; Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management; Water Research Commission and We Effect 

This session aims to explore cross-sectoral solutions to preserve and restore ecosystems and the crucial services they provide. The private sector, who has traditionally been criticised for sacrificing the environment, is now becoming recognized as an essential part of the solution. The same can be said for farmers, who, in particular in arid and semi-arid regions, consume large amounts of water, often at the expense of ecosystem integrity, but are now increasingly being involved in restoration measures . We will explore innovative, and potentially highly effective solutions involving the private and public sectors, and civil society.




Monitoring water and sanitation in the 2030 Agenda

Tuesday 30 August, 14:00-15:30. 

Organizers:Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany; Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; UN-Water; United Nations Children’s Fund; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; United Nations Environment Programme; United Nations Human Settlements Programme; World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization

In embarking upon the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with a dedicated goal on water and sanitation, credible data are needed to underpin sector advocacy, stimulate political commitment, inform decision making and trigger well-placed investment towards health, environment and economic gains. Countries own the monitoring and reporting of the 2030 Agenda and are the main beneficiaries of improved access to better-quality data; any initiative must therefore be sensitive to national needs.

The UN-Water family is currently working to align, integrate and expand existing monitoring and reporting efforts within the sector, to ensure a harmonised monitoring and reporting of the entire water cycle. The new initiative “Integrated monitoring of water and sanitation related SDG targets” (GEMI), complements WHO/UNICEF “Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation” (JMP) and UN-Water “Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water” (GLAAS), and – building on national and regional efforts – will together be able to monitor and report on global progress towards the entirety of SDG 6. 

Participants will learn more about SDG 6 monitoring and how the UN system is working together to support countries in this regard. Results from the in-country pilot testing of SDG 6 monitoring methodologies will be presented.




EYE ON ASIA: Hungry Asia - Growing More Food with Less Water 
Wednesday 31 August, 09:00-10:30. 

Organizers: IWMI, FAO, ICIMOD, ADB and IFAD.

Agriculture remains the major user of water resources, accounting for about 70% of diversions. Agriculture will have to produce 60% more food globally by 2050, and 100% more in developing countries using the same finite water resources. Estimates for Asia predict a 65% increase in industrial water use, 30% increase in domestic use, and a 5% increase in agriculture use by 2030. These estimates suggest growing and acute competition among the principal water users. Competing demands make water a highly politicized issue. The idea that water should be treated as an economic good has become a widely recognized but a highly contested principle. The session will review current thinking on water and food security and invited political economists will debate on water as an economic good and its significance in the political economy of the region.




Source to Sea - bridging marine and freshwater SDGs: 
Wednesday 31 August, 14:00-15:30.

Organizers: S2S, FAO, SIWI, UNDP, SWAM.

The relationships between upstream pressures and downstream effects highlight the importance of integrating the efforts to achieve Goal 6 and Goal 14 of the Agenda 2030. A coherent management of fresh and marine water caters for maintained ecosystem services essential for sustainable economic growth while also contributing to the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals related to food security, poverty eradication and health.
Countries are increasingly investing in upstream “green” and downstream “blue” economic growth opportunities to support a mutually reinforcing economic growth and sustainable development, but efforts to meet future needs of water, food, energy and space place high demands on balancing complex economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development between connected systems from source to sea.
This event will discuss solutions to the persistent challenges in addressing links and trade-offs in activities on land, in rivers, along coasts and at sea to enable sustainable growth in connected systems from source to sea and support the realization of the development aspirations defined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.




Improving Rural Livelihoods - Are Small Dams the Answer?: 
Thursday 1 September, 14:00-15:30.

Organizers: African Development Bank; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and The World Bank Group

There is wide recognition that small dams have contributed to improve the quality of life in rural communities by storing water for various uses: drinking water supply, irrigation, livestock, aquaculture, hydropower, and flood control. In their efforts to improve water resources management, many national governments and development agencies are making considerable efforts in recent years to develop and manage small dams.

Recognizing the importance of small dams for improving rural livelihoods, growing more food, and reducing poverty, governments considering implementing small dam programs are seeking for best practices and lessons learned for ensuring the sustainability and safety of existing and new small dams, for managing them with an integrated water resources management perspective, and for enhancing their benefits.

Drawing on internatonal experiences, including South Asia, Sub-Sahara Africa and Eastern Europe, which will be introduced by presenters (practitioners, academics etc.), this session will discuss, among participants, best international practices and lessons learned for designing and implementing small dam programs in terms of potential investments, technical options, policy and institutional implications, potential benefits and impacts, and potential risks. It will also fill a critical knowledge gap in literature regarding small dams.