You are cordially invited to attend the high-level event ‘Water and Beyond: EU transformative approaches for international partnerships’ that will take place on 18-21 January 2021.
‘Water and Beyond’ will deliver insights on how to strengthen transboundary cooperation, build broader partnerships and trigger water investments in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. It will lay the groundwork for applying the European Union Priorities for International Partnerships in the water sector and will make the link with programming and the Team Europe approach.
This high-level event is hosted by the European Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships and the Government of Slovenia, with the support of the Government of Portugal as the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is addressed to policy-makers, decision-makers and stakeholders who can contribute to ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
The event will take place over four consecutive days, with high-level panels, thematic sessions and networking opportunities to facilitate contacts between participants with common interests who wish to foster ongoing or future cooperation.
Seven technical sessions on various water-related topics will be flanked by a high-level opening and closing session led by relevant political leaders. Topics to be discussed include:
- Water as an equaliser: realising impact for human development
- Water as a catalyst for cooperation: fostering trust and peace
- Bridging the financial gap: investing in SDG 6
- The water-climate nexus: how to address the cascading crises
- With knowledge and skills: water as the engine for economic development and jobs
- Water and the environment: resource management to support nature
- Water as a human right: working towards implementation with all partners
These sessions are co-hosted by prominent European and international partners in the water sector, namely: the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Women for Water Partnership (WfWP), WaterAid, and Bremen Overseas Research & Development Association (BORDA). Each session will feature a number of high-level technical keynote speakers, among which are the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, the Slovenian Minister for Development, the Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Executive Secretaries of several basin Commission, the Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation, the UNECE Executive Secretary, the Associate Director for WASH at the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the CEO of Water and Sanitation for All.
We invite you to see the list of speakers.
CHECK THE WATER & BEYOND AGENDA
For more information, please contact us: europeaid-c2-water-sector@ec.europa.eu