Room 12

Non-sewered sanitation is largely predominant in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2020, this sanitation method, often managed informally, represented 72% of the access in rural areas and 78.6% in urban areas. Therefore, formalizing non-sewered sanitation should be considered as a key issue for local authorities, which are usually responsible for this service.

The EU-WOP Programme is a four-year initiative, led by UN-Habitat’s Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) and funded by the European Commission IntPA. The program is enabling twenty-two international Water Operators’ Partnerships projects, involving over 50 partner organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America over the coming three years, in boosting the capacity and performance of utilities with the support of their peers.

The 4th Mediterranean Water Forum, held in Malta in December 2021, was a platform for exchanging and consolidating know-how and experiences in the field of water in the Mediterranean. It identified effective responses to ensure water security. This theme is of crucial importance for the Mediterranean where demographic changes, socio-economic challenges and the effects of climate change are constantly threatening water security. The Mediterranean process will attempt.

This session looks at cross cutting solutions that cuts across the thematic areas and generates a multidisciplinary dialogue across disciplinary areas surrounding water

Develop a global cooperation among governments (local authorities/mayors, parliamentarians, ministers, heads of governments/state), intergovernmental, bilateral and multilateral organizations, financial institutions and non-governmental organizations, water professionals, scientists, policy and decision makers, representatives of water-related sectors and draw attention for protection, prevention and preparation in water and wastewater management and services during pandemic situation to ensure access to safe water, to establish a platform encouraging WASH related entrepreneurial and ope

Building on IWRM, the WWC IWRM/transversality Task Force is working on a new vision of water management with the aim to have an impact on the delivery of SDGs, identify the barriers to scale up, and provide a systemic vision and clear directions towards equity in allocation of water across sectoral needs through dialogue and tradeoffs discussions with stakeholders (local communities, public and private sectors, academia, and governing bodies, etc.). Exploring the interlinkages between water, energy, food, health, and education will help in achieving synergies between these sectors.

The session will be the climax of a broader initiative whose objectives are to strengthen the links between the water and nature communities to enable effective policies and practices, and to promote the use of Nature Based Solutions by water practitioners. It targets professional and user communities of water and nature which should strengthen their dialogue, design integrated projects and initiatives, and play their role in conservation, together with political and economic decision makers at global, national, local and basin levels.

The session provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of using wastewater surveillance to monitor SARS-CoV-2 along with the virus variants circulating in the population.

Key objectives:
• The main goal is to maximize the potential of Wastewater-based Epidemiology (WBE) to ensure One Health approach by monitoring other pathogens, human exposure to environmental contaminants, biomarkers and antimicrobial resistance.

Climate change is exacerbating both water scarcity and water-related hazards, as rising temperatures disrupt precipitation patterns and the entire water cycle. It is estimated that 80% of the impacts of climate change are felt through water and the crisis will only intensify in the future.

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, the Water and Climate Coalition Leaders issued an urgent and united call for integrated water and climate action to replace the existing fragmented and crisis-driven approach.

Implementation of Integrated water resources management - a process connecting environment preservation and improvement of social and economic conditions of communities at all levels - requests to relay on sciences based knowledge and information. Information plays a key role to involve local stakeholders in participative approach , and also at national level to take decision. Information and Communication technologies, Remote sensing, water monitoring of watersheds, networking bringing scientific outcomes to stakeholders, toolbox….