Ian Taylor/CPWF Mekong.

Stockholm World Water Week 2015: Water for Development

Sunday, August 23 to Friday, August 28, 2015

The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) will participate in this year's Stockholm World Water Week, organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). The theme is Water for Development. Experts, practitioners, decision-makers, business innovators and young professionals from a range of sectors and countries will congregate to network, exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions to the pressing water-related challenges of today.

Featured Events

Water Integrity Global Outlook 2015

Co-convened by Cap-Net UNDP; Global Water Partnership; International Water Management Institute; Stockholm International Water Institute; UNDP Water Governance Facility at SIWI and Water Integrity Network

Sunday 9.00-10.30 in NL 357 The Water Integrity Network (WIN) and its members and partners will publish the Water Integrity Global Outlook 2015 later this year as successor to the Global Corruption Report 2008 on water. Draft findings on major developments and recommendations for next steps to enhance intgerity will be available for discussion by the panel and the audience in an interactive session. Which appoaches have shown to work, or not? And what can been done, and by whom, to overcome the major challenges that are still present, at the scale required? [read more]

Sustainable intensification of agriculture: oxymoron or real deal?

Co-convened by the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems and the International Water Management Institute

Sunday 14:00-15:30 in FH 307 Sustainable Intensification is being promoted as an ecosystem approach that, its proponents claim, “squares-the-circle”: concurrently, increasing yields, reducing impacts and promoting ecosystem services. However, other than a concept (a nice buzz-phrase) it is not clear what sustainable intensification really means, how it differs from past practices to increase production, nor how sustainability can be ensured. Many remain skeptical that it can deliver all that it promises. This debate will be led by Matthew McCartney of IWMI and summarized by Nathanial Matthews of WLE. [read more]

 

Read our experts' responses to this discussion on this month's Thrive Big Question

Wetlands for Food Security: Solution or Illusion?

Co-convened by International Union for Conservation of Nature; International Water Management Institute; Nile Basin Capacity Building Network; Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and UNESCO – Institute for Water Education

Sunday 16:00-17:30 in NL Pillar Hall / Pelarsalen Wetlands play an important role for several of the suggested Sustainable Development Goals, including those on food security and poverty eradication, ecosystems and biodiversity, water and climate change adaptation. If disconnected, actions taken to achieve one goal can easily conflict with others. The seminar aims to build bridges between often disconnected communities for human development in wetlands, ecosystem protection, and agricultural investments and promote the contribution of networks and communities of practice to improve policies for sustainable wetland use. [read more]

Goldilocks and water variability: ways to increase socio-ecological resilience

Co-convened by the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems and FE2W

Monday 14:00-15:30 in NL 357 Water variability is increasing in parts of the world due to growing climate variability and/or a mismatch of infrastructure and rapidly growing demands on the water resource base. This session will discuss the pathways through which water variability affects food production and economic development; present case studies from various regions on the impact of water variability and suggests a series of entry points to address this rapidly growing problem. [read more]

Read a blog post on the session's outcomes.

Learn about IFPRI's work on Public Private Partnerships for irrigation development.

Investing in Natural Infrastructure for Development at the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

Co-convened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; International Water Association; International Water Management Institute; UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment; United Nations Environment Programme and World Resources Institute

Monday 14:00-15:30 in FH 201 Healthy ecosystems including well-functioning watersheds, floodplains, wetlands and forested hillslopes, help  filter and maintain regular flows of water essential for sustainable development and poverty alleviation across the water, energy and food nexus. This seminar examines the role of Natural Infrastructure as a foundation for a soft, flexible and sustainable development pathway to manage risks of increased climate variability – to which built infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable. Through a marketplace format, participants are invited to share lessons from the implementation of Natural Infrastructure solutions in a developing country context. [read more]

Water for Food Security and Nutrition

Co-convened by the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; High Level Panel of Experts for Food Security and Nutrition; Stockholm International Water Institute; Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative; Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and Swedish Ministry for Innovation and Enterprise

Monday 16:00-17:30 in FH 307 The event provides an opportunity for participants to be informed about the findings and recommendations from the High Level Panel of Experts for Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) report: ‘Water for Food Security and Nutrition’. The purpose is to discuss policies and governance approaches of water as a fundamental resource for food security and nutrition in terms of improved practices, management and the role of various stakeholders in the food value chain. [read more]

Eye on Asia: Taking Actions for a Water Secure Asia

Co-convened by Asia Pacific Water Forum; Asian Development Bank; International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development; International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and World Wide Fund for Nature

Tuesday 09:00-10:30 in FH Little Theatre The seminar will introduce an index approach to water security (AWDO) to assess challenges and work towards solutions through integrated approaches to manage and use water resources efficiently to sustain Asia’s economic advances. Impacts of environmental and climate change on water supply, technology adoption, governance, institutions and leadership needed for regional cooperation in sustainable water management will be addressed. [read more]

Gearing up for implementing the SDGs: the country perspective

Co-convened by the African Ministers' Council On Water; Asian Development Bank; CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems Led by IWMI; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; International Water Management Institute and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Wednesday 14:00-15:30 in FH 307 This event will move from global SDGs to basin and country perspectives gearing up for implementation. Country officials and representatives of UN and other international organizations (e.g. scientists), expected to play a role in the country level planning and implementation of the SDGs, will be brought together. The focus will be on the water SDG with emphasis on emphasis on the links with food security. [read more]

Rainwater – Sky’s the limit! Stockholm Water Prize Seminar 2015

Wednesday 09:00-10:30 in NL Music Hall / Musiksalen The Stockholm Water Prize seminar brings together Laureates and other influential scientists and practitioners in a session that explores the opportunities and challenges for better management of rainwater for sustainable development. Jeremy Bird, IWMI director general, will present on opportunities for managing water variability. [read more]

Freshwater ecosystems and human development

Co-convened by the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems; Internationa union for hte Conservation of Nature; Rockefeller Foundation and Stockholm International Water Institute

Thursday 11:00-12:30 in FH 300 Freshwater ecosystems – particularly forest watersheds, wetlands and other natural ecosystems – play a central role in the global water cycle, in local generation of fresh water flows, and the healthy functioning and resilience of other ecosystems. Faced with the short-term prospect that by 2025, two thirds of the world’s population may be living in conditions of severe water stress (UN-Water 2013), it is essential to find solutions that provide for the maintenance of freshwater ecosystems while meeting human needs. [read more]

Related News

The tenth volume of the Swedish FAO Committee’s series of discussion papers, titled Water, Food Security and Human Dignity has recently been published. Authored by Jan Lundqvist and Jenny Grönwall of SIWI and Anders Jägerskog at Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the report discusses the global significance of water for food security for different groups of people. WLE program director Andrew Noble contributed to the report by outlining some specific criteria for sustainable agricultural intensification. [read more]