United Nations Environment Programme
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Conference
Interfaith Engagement at the UN Water Conference 2023
22 - 24 March 2023
New York, United States of America
- Overview
- 21 March
- 22 March
- 23 March
- 24, 25 March
Billions of people worldwide still live without safely managed drinking water and sanitation, even though access to both services has long been defined as a human right. Many water sources are becoming more polluted, and ecosystems that provide water are disappearing. Climate change is disrupting the water cycle, causing droughts and floods. What are the 5 Themes of the Water Conference?
Have a look at how UNEP addressed issues on Water, Chemicals and Waste at the Water Conference, and how representatives of faith-based organisations are engaged on SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation).
Interfaith networking event ahead of the UN Water Conference 2023
Thursday, 16 March 2023 | 5:00pm EAT (Nairobi) /3pm CET / 9am ET.
co-hosted by WCC, WEA, PaRD and UNEP Faith for Earth | Register
Have a look at the Interfaith interventions shared during this session.
Commitments
- Water Action Partnership Commitment by AHAM Education Inc.
- Youths' Water Resource Capacity Expansion Activities and Future Projections in the Face of the Planet's Triple Crisis featuring the Faith for Earth Youth Council
- Water Supply for Refugees, IDPS, and Vulnerable Host Communities with International Orthodox Church Charities Ethiopia (IOCC-E), Cheshire Service Ethiopia, and others
- Caritas Internationalis' Commitment to the Water Action Agenda
- Green Anglicans (Rev. Rachel Mash): Committed to find out what it means to be a Blue Community and to see how to take that Commitment forward practically on a parish and Diocesan level.
- The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace: Committed to water action through their sponsored ministry, Waterspirit. Our commitment is available here: https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/waterspirit
The United Nations General Assembly, with support from the Governments of the Netherlands and Tajikistan, will convene the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York from 22 to 24 March 2023. The last UN conference on water was held in 1977 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Read the Vision Statement.
The primary aim of the Conference is to raise awareness of the global water crisis and decide on concerted action to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including those contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Other Resources:
- Faith for Earth Newsletter (Water focus)
- Faith and Water (eLearning Course)
- A Call for Interfaith Groups to Prioritize Water Crises Dialogue – Part 2
- Honoring World Water Day Blogpost by URI
- Faith Organizations Engaged in Water Action by Charles Bartlett
The Water Justice Manifesto
WCC EWN is a founding member of the Peoples Justice Forum and is pleased to join over 200 CSO that have endorsed the Water Justice Manifesto raising fundamental issues be placed at the center of water policies at the global, regional, national and subnational levels.
21March event (evening) and more details to come.
Water is Life: Angel of the Waters Ceremony
Date & Time: 21 March 2023 | Time: 14:00 - 15:00 EST | Location: 72 Terrace Dr.New York, NY 10021 (map)
An inspirational ceremony will take place at the Angel of the Waters Fountain in Central Park. The ceremony will celebrate the tangible and intangible value and enduring significance of water related cultural heritage around the world. More information.
Water: An Indigenous Perspective
Date & Time: 21 March 2023 | Time: 19:00 (New York) | Location: Register
Fireside Chat between Havasupai, Tewa and Hopi Elder Mona Polacca and Karenna Gore from the Center for Earth Ethics. This dialogue co-sponsored by the United Confederation of Taíno People, the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Climate Heritage Network lifts the voice of Indigenous Peoples with an inter-generational legacy of knowledge to protect and care for nature’s clean water sources.
Towards Youth Inclusive Water Governance: Filling the Information and Knowledge Voids
Date & Time: 22 March 2023 | Time: 06:00 EST | Location: Online
- Foundation for Ecological Security, FES, Youth4WaterIndia, UNU-CRIS, Water Initiatives, WFL(Cameroon), UPWCD, Manthan, UNIFY, Water Youth Network, WCC, Ohenagianos.
- In this session, we will have youth leaders and subject experts discourse on barriers and opportunities to Reconnecting Youth to the Water commons through a Youth-led and Youth-Centered Approach.
Contact information: natalija.vojno@gmail.com; more information
Interactive Dialogue - Water for Health: Access to WASH, including the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation
Date & Time: 22 March 2023 | Time: 10am (New York) | Location: Conference Room 4, UNHQ, New York
Read the concept paper |
Cross-sectoral partnerships to accelerate progress towards inclusive sanitation
Date & Time: 22 March 2023 | Time: 11:00 – 12:15 EST | Location: Conference Room B, UN Headquarters
- Partner Organizations: International Water Association, Government of Brazil, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Grundfos, African Global Networks, Water Youth Network (WWN), International Secretariat for Water.
- Description: Representatives from the public, private, and social sectors will discuss their perspectives on how cross sectoral partnerships can collaborate to support national governments in achieving SDG 6.2. More information about the event is here.
Contact information: natalija.vojno@gmail.com; more information
Faith Community is a Blue Community
Date & Time: 22 March 2023 | Time: 14:30 - 16:30 Eastern Time (US and Canada) | Location: UN Church Center, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York and online via Zoom
The World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network and its partner organizations will host a hybrid side event, “Faith Community is a ‘Blue Community”,’ on 22 March in conjunction with the UN Water Conference in New York City.
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Adopting the Water-Energy-Food-Environment Nexus for a water-wise energy transition
Date & Time: 22 March 2023 | Time: 15:30 - 16:45 Eastern Time (US and Canada) | Location: Conference Room 5
AKF and other AKDN agencies will be co-hosting a side event ‘Adopting the Water-Energy-Food-Environment Nexus for a water-wise energy transition’ with the Tajikistan Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, International Hydropower Association, ITAIPU Binacional, Executive Committee for the International Fund for Caving the Aral Sea, USAID GIZ, Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development and the University of Central Asia.
The session will draw on the broad principles outlined in the World Bank report ‘What the Future Has in Store: A new Paradigm for Water Storage’, which provides a practical framework to help with everything from evaluating long-term investments in natural and built storage, to decision-making under uncertainty, to integrated planning techniques, and international case studies.
More information. Missed it? Watch it here.
Community-led Water Management and Governance Practices: Cases of Local Experiences to Accelerate Implementation
Date & Time: 23 March 2023 | Time: 08:30 - 09:45 EST | Location: Online, Register
- A Key Note Video Message by Mr. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation
- Followed by a Panel Discussion Facilitated by Ms. Susan Schneegans, Communication Officer, Natural Sciences, UNESCO:
- Mr. Paul Borsboom, Cordaid, on "Water for Health"
- Mr. Welcome Sibanda, Caritas Bulawayo, on "Water for Sustainable Development"
- Mr. Alirio Caceres, Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean, on "Water for Climate, Resilience, and Environment"
- Mr. David Tsetse, Catholic Relief Services, on "Water for Cooperation"
Impacts of Extractives on Water and the Environment: Protection and Accountability through a Human Rights Framework
Date & Time: 23 March 2023 | Time: 13:00 - 14:00 (New York) | Location: Online, Register
This online panel will highlight the challenges in addressing the human right to equitable access to clean, safe water. Particular attention will be paid to the role that extractive industries, like mining, pose toward meeting the targets of SDG6, as well as cross-cutting issues, including but not limited to: health, migration, gender, Indigenous rights, education, climate change, and biodiversity loss.
Interfaith Actions for Water; Challenges and Opportunities
Date & Time: 23 March 2023 | Time: 13:00 - 14:00 (New York) | Location: Register
- Denis Miki Foundation, Faith For Our Planet, Bosch Alumni Network, Global Climate Justice Network, Policy Center for Interfaith Alliance, Cambridge University, Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)
- An Interfaith dialogue session for stakeholders to discuss, share experiences and create avenues for collaborations and partnership with faith groups to improve water access for vulnerable communities.
Contact information: info@dropofhopewater.org
Water Justice - Decolonizing and Restoring Intergenerational Relationships to Water for Access, Safety and Post-Traumatic Healing
Date & Time: 24 March 2023 | Time: 08:30 - 09:30 (New York) | Location: Register
Film screening of Emmy winning documentary Wade in the Water: Drowning in Racism.
- Moderator: Dr. Miriam Lynch
- Invited Panelists: Thaddeus Gamory, Director of Community Engagement, Partnerships and Programs, Diversity in Aquatics, USA; Cathleen Dean, Emmy Award-Winning Filmmaker on water justice, USA; Dr Shaun Anderson, Professor, Norfolk University, USA; Dr Carol Penn, Physician and Mind Body Medicine Facilitator, USA.
Contact information: info@ahameducation.org and climate@tzuchi.us; more information
Elevating Indigenous Perspectives, Knowledge and Action for Water and Nature
Date & Time: 24 March 2023 | Time: 13:30 - 14:30 (New York) | Location: Register
Conservation in the Americas
- Moderator: Alexander Easdale
- Film screening of documentary short featuring La Miskitu indigenous community in Honduras The Shemelca Serpent
- Invited Panelists: Crystal Cavalier, Principal, 7 Directions of Service, USA; Wildres Wood, Miskito Indigenous leader and Biologist, Honduras; Luis Alvarenga, Producer, Honduras; Laura Bermudez, Filmmaker, Honduras; Youth Water and Climate Coalition Ambassador.
Contact information: info@ahameducation.org and climate@tzuchi.us; more information
Eco-Affinity: Water and Climate Activism through Contemplative and Faith-Based Practice
Date & Time: 25 March 2023 | Time: 09:30 - 10:30 (New York) | Location: Register
Film Preview: Exposure Labs-funded documentary short by AHAM Education and BlackCat Media
- Healing People Heal the Planet.
- Moderator: Rev. Dallas Conyers
- Invited Panelists: Steve Chiu, Tzu Chi Foundation, USA; Knellee Bisram, CEO and Mindfulness Leader, Be Nature co-creator, AHAM Education, Trinidad/USA; Piero Falci, Be Nature co-creator, Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful Living, USA; Brahmakumaris NGO representative to the United Nations, USA.
Contact information: info@ahameducation.org and climate@tzuchi.us; more information
Community-Based Water and Climate Transformative Action
Date & Time: 25 March 2023 | Time: 10:45 - 11:445 (New York) | Location: Register
- Moderator: Steve Chiu
- Invited Panelists: Alexander Easdale (Executive Director) and Dallas Conyers (International Liaison), Southeast Climate and Energy Network (SCEN), USA; Idelma Quintana, City Commissioner Hollywood Florida, USA; Youth Ambassador, Women and Water NGO Representative, AOSIS Youth Fellow Representative.
