United Nations Water Conference 2023
The UN 2023 Water Conference, held in March 2023 in New York, supported work to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including those in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Browse this page to learn about IHE Delft’s involvement before, at and after the Conference.
IHE Delft Rector Eddy Moors reflects on the impact of the event in a blog that highlights how the water action called for at the conference is key to the future of humanity and the planet. In addition, IHE Delft PhD Candidate Adele Young and MSc alumna Mila Avellar Montezuma reflect on their experiences at the Conference, where they had leadership positions in an 11-day event during which young people from all over the world tackled global water problems.
Highlighted event
Youth leadership in focus as IHE Delft students host New York Water Week event
On World Water Day, 22 March, IHE Delft MSc students hosted a public online event to highlight the crucial role of youth leadership in tackling the world’s water crisis. The event, titled ‘Building Youth Leadership for Accelerating Change’ shares why youth are key to sustainable water progress.
Events
IHE Delft staff and students participated in and organized events.
Highlighted research
World Water Quality Alliance calls for urgent action on world’s damaged lakes
Scientists are calling for a raft of urgent measures – including a dedicated Global Green Finance Fund – to help restore degraded freshwater lakes. The call forms part of a White Paper produced by the World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA), which is convened by the United Nations Environment Programme. Co-authors of the paper are IHE Delft's Professor of Aquatic Ecosystems Ken Irvine and lecturer in Applied Aquatic Ecology Konstantina Katsanou.
New partnership
IHE Delft part of new coalition that aims to strengthen commitment to transboundary water cooperation
With water stress on the rise in shared river basins and aquifers, over 30 governments and organizations, including IHE Delft, have joined in a coalition to strengthen transboundary water cooperation to strengthen water security and sustainable development.
Related
News ·
Capacity development key to Water Action Agenda progress
Capacity development is key to taking action to fulfil the more than 800 commitments that form the Water Action Agenda, IHE Delft Rector Eddy Moors told participants in the Water Action Agenda Symposium, held 24 April. The hybrid event attracted more than 130 participants interested in the voluntary commitments made as part of the Water Action Agenda, which was launched during the 2023 UN Water Conference. Participants at the Symposium reflected on the progress of the implementation of the commitments, shared experiences and perspectives and underlined the need for further action.
Blog ·
Lesson from New York: Inclusivity is central for innovation in water
Amid the myriad of water-related events that were held late March in New York City as part of the UN 2023 Water Conference and New York Water Week, one stood out for its intensity and enthusiasm: Five teams of young people from all over the world came together to refine ideas that aim to tackle global water problems.
Blog ·
IHE Delft Rector: UN Water Conference offers guidance for years to come
About four months after the UN 2023 Water Conference, IHE Delft Rector Eddy Moors reflects on the impact of the event, which gathered some 10,000 participants at the UN headquarters in New York City and online.
Story ·
A seat at the lopsided table
The UN water conference organizers, Netherlands and Tajikistan, announced that they intended to make the conference the most diverse so far, with a particular focus on youth participation. The many Conference side and special events that highlighted youth indicated that the youth representation has increased. However, does their inclusion equal impact?
Story ·
Transformative Water Pact – An alternative vision for Water Governance
Imagine a world in which decisions related to water place environmental justice, equity and care at the centre; a world in which all voices, not just those of the rich, are heard and respected in water decision-making; a world in which human rights are respected and power imbalances erased.
Story ·
Capacity development is key to water and sanitation progress
The need for people, organizations and institutions to be able to develop the capacity they need to tackle their water- and sanitation-related challenges sustainably was in focus at a side event co-organized by IHE Delft at the UN 2023 Water Conference.
Story ·
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.
News ·
Education and training needed for better wastewater treatment in the fashion industry
The fashion industry is in urgent need of decreasing their emissions to protect water resources and the environment, in particular due to the release of hazardous chemicals into their effluents. At an online side event held 21 March as part of the UN 2023 Water Conference, Carlos López Vázquez, IHE Delft Associate Professor of Sanitary Engineering shared insights on the importance of capacity development in industrial wastewater treatment.
Press release ·
World Water Quality Alliance calls for urgent action on world’s damaged lakes
Scientists are calling for a raft of urgent measures – including a dedicated Global Green Finance Fund – to help restore degraded freshwater lakes, at the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York today. The call forms part of a White Paper produced by the World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA), which is convened by the United Nations Environment Programme. Co-authors of the paper are IHE Delft's Professor of Aquatic Ecosystems Ken Irvine and lecturer in Applied Aquatic Ecology Konstantina Katsanou.
News ·
Salt-eating algae and rainwater harvesting treatment among ideas presented by global youth in UN 2023 Gamechanger challenge
Standing on a stage in a New York high-rise building, 19-year-old Meinke van Oenen hoisted a small glass bottle of greenish water in the air, and proclaimed that the algae in the bottle are “the green gold that defeats salt”.