World Water Week - UN 2023 Water Conference: From voluntary commitments to impact

Last March, the world’s leaders gathered in New York for the UN 2023 Water Conference. We will discuss the results of the Conference, talk about the follow-up on the Water Action Agenda and what is necessary to keep water on the global political agenda: From voluntary commitments to impact.

Session Description

Last March, the first UN dedicated conference on water in nearly 50 years took place in New York. Co-hosted by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Tajikistan, together with UN-Water and UN DESA, the Conference aimed to unite the world for water action.

Did the UN 2023 Water Conference deliver on its promises to unite the world for water, to change the way we understand, value and manage our water, and for water to be prioritized in decision-making? Does the conference provide us with a roadmap for accelerated change? And how can the global community keep the momentum going truly putting water at the heart of sustainable development?

In this session, we will discuss the results of the Conference and its follow-up through implementation of the Water Action Agenda; From voluntary commitments to impact.

We will hear different perspectives on the importance and added value of the Water Action Agenda and the required way forward. An interactive panel consisting of representatives of different stakeholder groups will exchange their views on a successful implementation of the Water Action Agenda that's filled with meaningful commitments.

Programme

Moderator: Hajar Yagkoubi, Former UN Youth Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Speakers:

Panel 1 Keeping the momentum going: Putting water at the heart of sustainable development

• Mr. Sulton Rahimzoda, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Water and Climate Coalition Leaders, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea
• Ms. Meike van Ginneken, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands
• Mr. Johannes Cullmann, UN-Water Vice-Chair

Panel 2 From voluntary commitments to impact

• Ms. Luzette Kroon, Board member International Affairs at the Association of Dutch Water Authorities and the President of the Blue Deal Programme.
• Mr. Mark Smith, Director General, Business Strategy & Delivery at International Water Management Institute (IMWI)
• Mr. Romeo Bertolini, Deputy Director and Head of Bonn Office for the NDC Partnership
• Ms. Elysa Vaillancourt, Youth Project Manager at International Secretariat for Water, Butterfly Effect Coalition
• Ms. Rochelle Diver, IITC’s UN Environmental Treaties Coordinator at International Indian Treaty Council