World Water Week 2023

IHE Delft will take part in World Water Week 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden, and online. Institute delegates will speak at several events, and host an information booth. Please check in on this page regularly: we will add information as it becomes available.

Alumni gathering

Alumni attending the meeting in person are invited to an Alumni Networking Gathering to be held at 18:00 on Wednesday 23 August at the IHE Delft booth. RSVP to Alumni Relations Advisor Maria Laura Sorrentino at m.sorrentino@un-ihe.org

IHE Delft delegates who will be in Stockholm include:

Eddy Moors, Rector
Susanne Schmeier, Associate Professor on Water Law and Diplomacy, Head of the Water Governance Department
Nora van Cauwenbergh, Associate Professor Water and Societal Transitions, Head of the Land & Water Management department
Konstantina Katsanou, Lecturer/Researcher in Applied Aquatic Ecology
Ken Irvine, Professor of Aquatic Ecosystems
Yasir Mohamed, Associate Professor of Water Resources Management
Mohd Faizee, Researcher at Water Governance
Gaetano Casale, Manager Liaison Office
Cristina Anacabe, Business Development Manager
Maria Laura Sorrentino, Alumni Relations Advisor
Elmira Shamshiry, IHE Delft MSc student
Rewa Assi, IHE Delft MSc student
Yonas Asfaha, IHE Delft MSc student

IHE Delft Booth location: Exhibition level 5, stand 5:06

Innovation in Transboundary Water Cooperation: Diplomacy, Finance & Technology
IHE Delft participant: Susanne Schmeier
Time: 09:00 - 10:30

Location: A2

Session ID: 11073

Summary

Exploring innovative solutions in transboundary water cooperation promoted by Switzerland and partners in following-up the UN 2023 Water Conference to accelerating change, the session will showcase solutions linking diplomacy, finance and technology from the global to the local level in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Switzerland.
SIWI Seminar (1/3): Governance: The enabling environment to foster innovation
IHE Delft participant: Nora van Cauwenbergh
Time: 14:00 - 15:30

Location: C4

Session ID: 12001

IHE Delft is a seminar co-convenor. Nora van Cauwenbergh, who will speak about a new book titled “Greening water risks: Natural Assurance Schemes.”

Summary

Collective action in water stewardship is being redefined. In response to increasingly wicked water governance problems, catalytic communities are emerging as a new model of collaboration. This session explores the role of the private sector – entrepreneurs, investors, and multinationals – in building and sustaining catalytic communities alongside other stakeholders.

SIWI Seminar (2/3): Governance: The enabling environment to foster innovation
IHE Delft participants: Yasir Mohamed (speaker), Nora van Cauwenbergh (co-host)
Time: 11:00 - 12:30

Location: C3

Session ID: 12002

IHE Delft is a co-convenor.

Summary
What is readiness for water innovation and how can we build it? Technology readiness is not sufficient. To enable uptake and mainstreaming, we need to empower actors, build trust, and manage uncertainty. This session showcases real-world, nature-based innovations to illustrate key elements of institutional and investment readiness.
SIWI Seminar (2/3): Innovation and the geopolitics of water
IHE Delft participant: Mohd Faizee
Time: 16:00 - 17:30

Location: C3

Session ID: 12005

Summary

This session explores the emergence of new actors and approaches in the field of digital water diplomacy. With two case studies, the session discusses the challenges and opportunities related to innovative technologies in multi-track peace mediation, promoting realization of human rights, local ownership, inclusivity, and transparency.
Global Water Education Network: Game changer for SDG6 acceleration
IHE Delft participant: Gaetano Casale
Time: 16:00 - 16:30

Location: Online

Session ID: 11512

IHE Delft is a co-convenor.

Summary

The Global Water Education Network (GWEN) - initiated at the UN Conference on Water in 2023 - drives stronger collaboration between all organizations delivering water education and water-related capacity development services on a global level. The global network contributes to SDG6 and other international SDG, climate and DRR targets.
Restoring lake ecosystems to deliver global scale socio-economic benefits
IHE Delft participants: Konstantina Katsanou and Kenneth Irvine
Time: 16:00 - 16:40

Location: Talk shows, 27

Session ID: 10957

Summary

The Talk Show session will debate achieving the ambition of the World Water Quality Alliance “Embedding Lakes into Global Sustainability” and the Key Actions of Building Capacity in Monitoring and Assessment; Embedding Lakes Management in national policies; Fostering Green Finance partners; and Raising Global Awareness of the Benefits of Change.

The Position Paper produced by the UNEP World Water Quality Alliance Ecosystems Workstream has identified four Key Actions for sustainable Lake and Reservoir use. The Paper can be accessed via the following link: https://zenodo.org/record/7752982

Making sustainable basin management work – Exchanging experiences across basins
IHE Delft participant: Susanne Schmeier
Time: 16:00 - 17:30

Location: C3

Session ID: 10928

IHE Delft is a co-convenor

Summary

Cooperative management of shared basins is crucial for sustainable and peaceful development. But it faces numerous technical and political challenges. Many of these challenges are similar across the world’s basins and aquifers. Therefore, exchange between those managing these basins is crucial and will be at the center of this session.
World Café: Announcement follow-up UN2023 Gamechanger Challenge
IHE Delft participant: Eddy Moors
Time: 17:00 - 18:30

Location: Room 25

Registration link

Nature-based solutions to strengthen urban climate resilience: Implementation-pathways
IHE Delft participant: Nora van Cauwenbergh (Session host)
Time: 09:00 - 10:30

Location: A4

Session ID: 11022

Summary

In this interactive session we bring together experts in urban planning and natural resources management to present best practices to overcome design and implementation challenges. Taking into consideration success factors and enabling environment we explore innovative pathways to improve implementation of Nature-based Solutions and work at the level of systems change.

Live Talk Show: Transboundary Water Coalition
IHE Delft participant: Susanne Schmeier
Time: 09:00 – 09:40
Room: 27
Floor: 2
Is international water law ready to face future challenges?
IHE Delft participant: Susanne Schmeier
Time: 11:00 - 12:30

Location: C1

Session ID: 10898

IHE Delft is a co-convenor

Summary

This session focuses on the challenges international water law (IWL) is facing – from climate change to increasing pressure on water resources and from influences of other legal regimes to declining multilateralism – and discusses responses to those. It aims at identifying innovative ways that can reform IWL and ensure
How to follow up our commitments of the water action agenda and support students and start-ups in developing their Gamechangers for water
IHE Delft participant: Eddy Moors
Time: 13:00 - 14:30

Location: Dutch Pavilion, Booth 4.01

Registration link

Summary

Interactive workshop on how can we follow up our commitments of the water action agenda and support students and start-ups in developing their Gamechangers for water.
Impact of war & climate on water security in Ukraine
IHE Delft participant: Susanne Schmeier
Time: 14:00 - 15:30

Location: A4

Session ID: 11119

Summary

The session will showcase the recent analysis conducted by the World Bank using mixed methods of remote sensing and field based surveys to understand the impact of Russian invasion of on the irrigation and water resources management in Ukraine from crop yields, infrastructure damages, to impact on farmers.