24-hour water global water debate launches SDG6 accelerator incubator network
As an outcome of a global, 24-hour relay debate on how to speed up progress toward universal water and sanitation access – as called for in Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6), a new network of water incubators will be created. The Global Accelerator Incubator Network for SDG6 intends to be a network of water incubators providing a safe space to test new ideas, policies and approaches to tackling the water crisis.
The Marathon Relay Debate drew more than 600 participants who joined sessions held over the course of 24 hours. After a kick-off in New York, the virtual debate baton moved to South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific region before returning to New York for a concluding session.
“As the baton was passed from time zone to time zone, the priority actions shifted and changed, reflecting the local context and priorities. When the baton arrived back in New York, it looked somewhat different from how it started - ultimately reflecting both the diversity of ideas across the world, but also the common themes and threads,” said Graham Jewitt, IHE Delft Professor of Hydrology and debate organizer.
Debate participants expressed their frustration with systemically compromised water resources and sanitation systems, and the slow progress of implementation of ideas to fix it. They highlighted the need to use human-centred, rather than finance-centred, perspective assessing the desperately needed investments in water resources infrastructure.
"When the baton arrived back in New York, it looked somewhat different from how it started - ultimately reflecting both the diversity of ideas across the world, but also the common themes and threads".
Speakers in all time zones emphasised the critical need to involve marginalised people, including women and often-ignored indigenous groups, as well as to invest in capacity development. They underlined that water should be a topic in all education curricula, not just those of the traditional scientific and engineering disciplines.
“One of the main challenges is the ‘stove-piped’ nature of the underlying knowledge base, overarching governance and practical management associated with this critical natural resource. Science-informed policy formulation and practical solutions to our water problems are urgently needed,” said Charles J. Vörösmarty, Director of the City University of New York’s Environmental Sciences Initiative and debate organizer.
To speed up progress toward SDG6, a new Global Accelerator Incubator Network for SDG 6 (GAINS6 will be established. The network will aim to be a collaborative meeting grounds, knowledge clearinghouse and idea exchange. The institutions that will be part of the network will provide a safe space, including laboratories, to test new technologies, policies and financing approaches and accelerate leading to quicker and more effective global implementation.
"Science-informed policy formulation and practical solutions to our water problems are urgently needed"