Supporting inclusive water governance at the Rome Water Dialogue

On Friday 17 October, the ScaleWat project took part in the multi-stakeholder Rome Water Dialogue (RWD) session “Water and Indigenous Peoples’ Food and Knowledge Systems” within the framework of the World Food Forum. The session created an inclusive and accessible space where representatives from governments, civil society, Indigenous People, academia, farmers organizations and the private sector could convene to discuss the principles of the responsible governance of water tenure. Fitting into the RWD’s mission to advance actionable recommendations on inclusive water governance, the session aligned with the Dialogue’s focus on integrated water resource management for resilient agriculture and food security.

Benjamin Kiersch, Global Project Coordinator of the ScaleWat project, presented the Global Dialogue on Water Tenure and its participatory mechanism, and invited the stakeholders to take part on the discussion to strengthen Indigenous perspectives.

Mona Polacca, a water ethics coordinator from the Havasupai Nation, opened the session by reminding participants of both water’s sacredness and its power as unifying force for peace, saying “Water encourages us to have one mind, one spirit. It encourages us to consider the source of water deep within mother Earth”. Other speakers, including AbdulHakim Elwaer, FAO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, addressed the importance of recognizing customary water tenure arrangements of rural populations, including indigenous peoples, in the effort to effectively allocate, plan and protect water resources to sustain and improve water and food security.

This effort must include, the panel agreed, rights to use, access and manage water resources, as well as easy access to mechanisms on conflict resolution. FAO and its partners are working to maintain the balance between our natural resources to preserve and protect water for current and future generations. 

For more information on the sessions included in the Rome Water Dialogue, explore the related event page.