Celebration of AQUASTAT's 30th anniversary and Joint FAO and UN-Water Briefing on the UN System-wide Strategy on Water and Sanitation
Friday, 4 April 2025, from 9.00 to 10.30 CEST, Sheikh Zayed Center at FAO Headquarters and online
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is pleased to invite you to the "Celebration of AQUASTAT's 30th anniversary and the joint FAO and UN-Water Briefing on the UN System-wide Strategy on Water and Sanitation” held in the context of FAO’s 80th anniversary. The event will take place on Friday, 4 April 2025, from 9.00 to 10.30 (CEST), in the Sheikh Zayed Center at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy and online.
AQUASTAT, FAO’s global information system on water and agriculture, was launched in the 1990s as a cornerstone of FAO’s water programme. Over the past three decades, it has provided comprehensive, reliable and up-to-date data and information on water resources use and management worldwide. AQUASTAT has evolved into a globally recognized system used as reference for policymakers, researchers and organizations, playing a key role in monitoring Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.4, which focuses on improving water efficiency and reducing water stress.
The success of AQUASTAT is built on a strong collaboration with Member Countries that play a crucial role in collecting and sharing data. As we mark its 30th anniversary, we wish to celebrate this collective achievement together with Member States.
During the event, FAO and UN-Water will present the new UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation and its relevance for FAO mandate.
The event will be held in English with interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.
Agenda
Time | Item | Speaker |
9:00-9:05 | Introduction by moderator | Nora Berrahmouni, Deputy Director, Land and Water Division, FAO |
9:05-9:30 | Opening ceremony | |
| Opening remarks | QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO |
| Opening remarks | Alvaro Lario, Chair, UN-Water, and President, International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD) |
| Statements on the value of data for Members | H.E. Nosipho Nausca-Jean Jezile, Ambassador, the Republic of South Africa H.E. Youssef Balla, Ambassador, the Kingdom of Morocco H.E. Manuel José Antonio Cacho-Sousa Velázquez, Ambassador, the Republic of Peru Mohamed Diatta, Senegal Sherpa for the 2026 UN Water Conference, Ministry of Water and Sanitation, Senegal |
9:30-9:35 | Cultural celebration |
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9:35-10:05 | Keynote presentations |
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Video on FAO’s work on AQUASTAT |
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AQUASTAT 30th anniversary | Patricia Mejias-Moreno, AQUASTAT Coordinator, Land and Water Division, FAO | |
Importance of AQUASTAT data for the UN World Water Development Reports | Miguel Doria, Director a.i., UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) | |
SDG 6.4 indicators progress reports (water use efficiency and level of water stress) | Jippe Hoogeveen, Senior Land and Water Officer, Land and Water Division, FAO | |
UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation | Bruce Gordon, Vice Chair, UN-Water | |
FAO’s engagement in UN-Water and its relevance to the delivery of FAO’s mandate | Lifeng Li, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO | |
10:05-10:25 | Q&A | Nora Berrahmouni, FAO |
10:25-10:30 | Closing remarks | Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General, FAO |