FAO at the UN 2023 WATER CONFERENCE

Background

Water is fundamental to everyone. It is essential for human health and well-being, food production, energy, healthy ecosystems, climate adaptation, poverty reduction, and more. Water is at the core of sustainable development.

But decades of increased freshwater withdrawal, over extraction of groundwater, poor management, misuse and contamination of freshwater ecosystems have intensified water stress and degraded water-related ecosystems. This has led to negative impacts on human health, economic activities, food and energy supplies. With many of the SDGs off track, progress in implementation of Goal 6 on water and sanitation is key to the achievement of all other SDGs.

From 22 to 24 March 2023 the world will come together in New York during the UN 2023 Water Conference. The Conference is convened by the UN General Assembly and co-hosted by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Tajikistan.

It is a call to action to every single person on the planet to accelerate change to solve the water crisis around the world. It marks a watershed moment that call governments, companies and individuals to take concerted actions and commitments to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including those contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is the most important water event in a generation, the first event of its kind for nearly 50 years, thus we must make it successful and impactful.

FAO’s involvement in the UN 2023 Water Conference

Several important actions towards the UN 2023 Water Conference have been already initiated, including the Rome Water Dialogue held at the FAO Headquarters on 29 November 2022, the Africa Regional Workshop on National Water Roadmaps organized on 22-24 February in Zimbabwe to foster collective action at national level for the development of National Water Roadmaps towards the 2030 Agenda. Recognizing that water is central to achieving all SDGs, FAO has also included water on the agendas of all governing bodies, and water will be the theme of this year’s FAO Conference in July.  

At the UN 2023 Water Conference, FAO Director-General Dr. QU Dongyu will moderate the Interactive Dialogue 5 on "Water Action Decade: Accelerating the implementation of the objectives of the Decade, including through the UN Secretary-General’s Action Plan". FAO as the UN co-lead agencies together with the UN Development Programme and the World Bank will also provide technical support to the Interactive Dialogue 2 on “Water for Development: Valuing Water, Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Sustainable Economic and Urban Development”. FAO will  organize the Side Event on National Water Roadmaps, co-partner and support three Special Events and 20 or so Side Events as described below.

FAO's full calendar of events 

 

MONDAY 20 MARCH 2023

• 09:30-10:45 (EST)

Side event "Acceleration Frameworks for SDG6 Achievements in the Arab Region"

Format: Online - For more information, click here

 

WEDNESDAY 22 MARCH 2023

• 09:30-10:45 (EST)

Side event "Source to Sea (S2S) approach: from methodology to practice"

Format: Onsite (The Nature Hub; Apella - 450 E 29th Street, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here, from 1:00:00 to 2:20:00) - For more information, click here.

• 11:00-12:15 (EST)
  

Side event "Partnerships and cooperation for water: The main findings of the United Nations World Water Development Report 2023 and experiences from the countries"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 5, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 11:00-12:15 (EST)
  

Side event "Water and nutrition. Harmonizing actions between the Water and Nutrition Decade. What does it take?"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room A, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 12:30-13:45 (EST)
  

Side event "Implementing the 2023 Praia Declaration through the Decade’s work streams"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 6, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 12:30-13:45 (EST)
  

Side event "Multistakeholder commitments to the Water Action Agenda – Integrated water and climate solutions – From science to decisions to actions"

Format: Onsite, Conference Room A, UNHQ, New York - For more information,  click here.

• 14:00-15:15 (EST)
  

Side event "Restore the land, preserve the water: Drought resilience and sustainable land management for people and planet"

Format: Onsite, The Nature Hub; Apella - 450 E 29th Street, New York - For more information,  click here.

• 15:00-18:00 (EST)

Interactive Dialogue 2 “Water for sustainable development: Valuing water, Water-Energy-Food nexus and sustainable economic and urban development” co-convened by FAO, the UN Development Programme and the World Bank

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 4, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here)  - For more information, click here.

• 15:00-16:00 (EST)

Side event "Children and Youth Voice for Water for Sustainable Development"

Format: Online.

• 15:30-16:45 (EST)

Side event "The Drought-Fragility-Finance nexus: Managing drought risk and overcoming conditions of fragility"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 9, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 18:30-19:45 (EST)

Side event "National Water Roadmaps towards the 2030 Agenda" led by FAO

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 8, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

THURSDAY 23 MARCH 2023

• 09:00-10:30 (EST)

• 10:00-13:00 (EST)

Special event "Reducing inequalities – implementing human rights"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 2, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 12:30-13:45 (EST)

Side event "Water and agriculture for climate in Latin America and the Caribbean"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 6, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 13:15-14:30 (EST)

Side event "Stronger together: building resilience and prosperity through integrated and evidence-based management of the Ocean-Water continuum"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 4, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 13:30-14:50 (EST)

Side event "Indigenous Peoples and Water: Joint Commitments to transforming water governance, climate adaptation and biodiversity"

Format: Onsite, UNDP Office, 304 E 45th St, 11th Floor, New York - For more information,  click here.

• 14:00-15:15 (EST)

Side event "Focus on national leadership for inclusive water governance: Call for renewed water action and commitments"

Format: Onsite (ECOSOC Chamber, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here)- For more information, click here.

• 14:00-15:15 (EST)

Side event "Drought resilience: transforming water scarcity into prosperity pathways"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 8, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here).

• 14:00-15:15 (EST)

Side event "Cryosphere, Climate, Cooperation: Preserving Glaciers & Snow for the Water Action Agenda"

Format: Onsite, Conference Room 5, UNHQ, New York - For more information,  click here.

• 15:00-18:00 (EST)
  

Special event “The economics of water: Transforming governance to secure a sustainable, just and prosperous future”

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 2, UNHQ in New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 15:30-17:00 (EST)
  

Side event "Resilient rivers to healthy coasts for people and the planet: An integratedRiver Basin Management approach"

Format: Onsite, The Nature Hub; Apella - 450 E 29th Street, New York - For more information,  click here.

• 18:30-19:45 (EST)

Side event "Bali 2024: On the road to the 10th World Water Forum"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 2, UNHQ in New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 18:30-19:45 (EST)

Side event "Big Earth Data: A game changer to promote implementation of SDG 6"

Format: Onsite, Conference Room 8, UNHQ in New York - For more information, click here.

• 18:30-19:45 (EST)

Side event "Water-Economy-Ecology Nexus in a changing environment: A roadmap from New York to Beijing to Bali"

Format: Onsite, Conference Room 9, UNHQ in New York - For more information, click here.

 

FRIDAY 24 MARCH 2023

• 08:00-09:15 (EST)

Side event "Groundwater: an invisible cross-sectoral fundament for implementation of the Water Action Agenda"

Format: Onsite (Trusteeship, UNHQ in New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 08:00-09:15 (EST)

Side event "Reforms, stakeholder engagement, and innovation in water sector to accelerate SDG achievement through transformative actions in Azerbaijan"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 9, UNHQ in New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information,  click here.

• 09:30-10:45 (EST)

Side event "Protecting and restoring critical water related ecosystems in mountains: The role of Indigenous Peoples and biocultural territories in mountain ecosystems"

Format: Onsite, Conference Room A, UNHQ in New York - For more information, click here.

• 10:00-13:00 (EST)

Interactive Dialogue 5 "Water Action Decade: Accelerating the implementation of the objectives of the Decade, including through the UN Secretary-General’s Action Plan"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 4, UNHQ in New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 10:00-13:00 (EST)

Special event “Water Leadership: Uniting for a sustainable world”

Format: Onsite (Conference Room tbd, UNHQ in New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information,  click here

• 11:00-12:15 (EST)
  

Side event "Disaggregation of the SDG indicator 6.4.2 (level of water stress) by river basin"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 11, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here

• 11:00-12:15 (EST)

Side event “Water for sustainable development: The Saudi Experience”

Format: Onsite, Trusteeship, UNHQ in New York.

• 12:30-13:45 (EST)
  

Side event "Securing water allocation for sustainable food production and the environment using innovative technologies and real time data"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 6, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 12:30-13:45 (EST)
  

Side event "From COP27 to the UN2023 Water Conference: AWARe a Game-Changer in the Water Action Agenda"

Format: Onsite, Trusteeship, UNHQ, New York.

• 13:15-14:30 (EST)

Side event "Public dialogue on the UN-Water SDG 6 Synthesis Report 2023"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 2, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

• 14:00-15:15 (EST)
  

Side event "A generational challenge in agriculture: Addressing the complexity of the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystem nexus"

Format: Onsite, Conference Room A, UNHQ, New York - For more information, click here.

• 14:00-15:15 (EST)

Side event "Make water pivotal in food systems"

Format: Onsite (Conference Room 5, UNHQ, New York) and online (watch the event webcast here) - For more information, click here.

 

The full programme of the Conference is available here.