Amsterdam International Water Week Contributing to global progress on water issues Roadmap towards 2019

Transcription

1 Amsterdam International Water Week Contributing to global progress on water issues Roadmap towards 2019

2 AMSTERDAM INTERNATIONAL WATER WEEK 2017 built on the momentum gained in the first three biennial AIWWs. It provided a platform to help achieve global progress on water issues. It reached a new benchmark in terms of participation, and initiated actions that pave the way for even greater impact around the next AIWW in The goal of a circular and resilient water future AIWW 2017 focused on the goal of a circular and resilient water future. This is a goal that responds to the needs and challenges faced by a growing global population a point captured by the Water and nine billion people theme of the 2017 AIWW Conference. It is also a goal that reflects opportunities to work in new ways and to provide new solutions. This was addressed at the opening by Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General Environment European Commission while Laura Tuck, Vice President, Sustainable Development, of the World Bank emphasized the importance of finance as part of the solution. A platform for participation No single solution will achieve the circular and resilient goal. No one group holds all the answers. AIWW 2017 contributed a platform to bring together the many voices who can play a part in securing progress. AIWW 2017 gave the influential participants present an opportunity to share ideas and experiences, and to build links for future collaborations. Importantly, AIWW actively embeds the input of Young Water Professionals the next generation of water leaders. Contributing to action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals A special High Level Round Table session during AIWW 2017 gathered insights from the many water leaders present. The High Level Panel on Water has been convened by the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank. It champions progress on water and sanitation within the Sustainable Development Goals. The results of the special session were presented to Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of The Netherlands and a Panel member, as input for the Panel representatives meeting in Amsterdam. They were also used as input to the AIWW Conference. The session outcomes on the theme of Water, Peace & Security included a recommendation for a strong focus on collaboration and inclusion. It was suggested that the High Level Panel focus on a few countries facing severe water scarcity issues, supporting them with fact-based analysis and using this to support processes operationalizing water and human rights. Session outcomes on the theme of Valuing Water highlighted a need to view this as a broad topic focused not only on monetary value, with greater transparency and pricing mechanisms that better reflect the true value of water. Participants highlighted the key role of regulation in driving progress, saw the opportunity for innovation by investors, and recommended a global WTO treaty for water. Mark Rutte - Prime Minister of the Netherlands 2

3 Supporting utility, city and industry progress A key contribution of AIWW 2017 was to bring together leaders from critical actors in the water space utilities, cities, and industry. It provided an opportunity for them to share concerns and experiences, to interact with others offering solutions, underlining the importance of finance, and to shape thinking on the way forward. Utilities The Utility Leaders Forum featured contributions from five leaders of utilities serving some of the largest cities around the world. Five new members of the Leading Utilities of the World network were inaugurated in a special session. These ten then led round table discussions built around their own cases and solutions. Against the backdrop of city challenges such as population growth, key issues highlighted by the water utility leaders included the need to invest in maintaining, improving and expanding their infrastructure while balancing this with affordable tariffs. Wider changes to the water utility landscape include industrial use of reclaimed water, the need for water conservation by domestic customers, irrigation efficiency in the agricultural sector, and reclaimed water use in city landscaping. The need for greater resilience may also drive a higher level of connection between networks. organisation accountable for flood protection. Measures should feature nature-based solutions, and use of an integrated approach should cover spatial planning and include a business case in urban planning that accounts for public and private interests. The long-term nature of climate adaptation requires both political support and commitment and presents an opportunity for inclusive collaboration. Industry The Industrial Leaders Forum brought together a wide range of sectors, as well as professionals from finance, consultancies, technology providers, NGOs and utilities, among others. Key messages around the theme of the value of water included the importance of regional and local perspectives to guide context-based water targets aligned with local water availability as a driver for investment. Setting of targets for and by industry requires a proper accounting framework, and participants called on financial organisations to invest now in pilot projects ready for wider implementation of technologies offering resource recovery or improvements in plant efficiency. A further important message from industry around the circular economy is that it needs to be supported by wider planning to promote industrial symbiosis. In-depth discussion at the AIWW Conference A deeper level of detail and discussion on the core themes of the week was provided by the keynote presentations, case-based sessions, and solutions workshops that formed the backbone of the 2017 AIWW Conference. Daniel Calleja Crespo - Director General Environment European Commission Cities The Resilient City Leaders Forum drew on input from cities around the world, as well as network organisations and representatives of the financial sector. Key messages include that adaptation needs to be pursued at a local level, and implementation should not just follow a topdown approach. At the same time, master plans are needed to support progress towards a circular water economy, and cities each need one coordinating Efficiency and the value of water Water is essential for industrial activity generally, but the conference highlighted that there are emerging economic opportunities, such as those around the recovery of resources from used waters. Energy-neutral sewage treatment is already being achieved, offering the prospect of a wider contribution to the energy transition needed by cities. There is also a growing role for reporting initiatives in achieving resilience in supply chains, in turn supporting economic security. Finance has a crucial role to play in helping the drive towards optimising the value of water. One of the key needs and opportunities in this area is the financing of decentralised projects. 3

4 Water management and resilience Improved water management is needed in many ways, especially to achieve resilience in the face of climate change. The conference highlighted on-going activity across the spectrum of needs. Climate change adaptation measures can be taken at the utility, industry and city level, especially the combined catchment-wide, green-blue measures that can be deployed in the concept of Water Sensitive Cities. There is increasing need to combine flood protection, water quality, and environmental flow measures across river basins. This includes increasing urgency to facilitate cooperation around transboundary waters. Improved groundwater management is also needed, but with aquifer storage offering a potential means of balancing the collection and use of alternative water sources. Governance and institutional transformation The circular economy represents a new way of organising society and economic activity. This highlights the importance of seeking progress around governance and institutional change to achieve a circular and resilient water future. The conference progressed discussion around broad themes such as water, peace and security and the essential need to engage stakeholders. It contributed in more specific areas too, including efforts to progress water operator partnerships, such as the Dutch WaterWorX initiative, and to stimulate innovation and scale up promising solutions. Innovation in water solutions Technologies continue to emerge that offer solutions to those who face the many water-related challenges. The diverse technologies highlighted in the conference included wastewater-based epidemiology, use of deep tunnels to address sewage and stormwater issues, and the beneficial use of wastewater streams, where local business models can be a particularly important factor for success. IT featured prominently, especially the new opportunities opening up around sensors and data, boosted by emerging IoT technologies, and the need for cyber security solutions. Alongside other technical solutions, such as those in the area of drought and micropollutant detection, there were cross-cutting topics, such as corporate financing for water start-ups and the use of living labs to stimulate and showcase innovation. Laura Tuck - Vice President for Sustainable Development World Bank A commitment to progress Real progress comes from action on the ground. AIWW 2017 initiated a new approach aimed at securing such action the Amsterdam Agreements. These signal intention on part of authorities, institutes and companies to collaborate in the search for and implementation of solutions. Nine Amsterdam Agreements were signed during the week. The road to 2019 The parties to the Amsterdam Agreements will build their cooperation in the run-up to AIWW The agreements include a commitment to report back on progress to the AIWW series to help support wider uptake of lessons. More broadly, the results of AIWW 2017 will be shared in the water community and with other events in the coming months, with the aim of gathering reaction and input to shape the AIWW 2019 Position Paper. One of these events is the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), as AIWW and SIWW have expressed the intention to create a more structural cooperation in the near future. We welcome input to the on-going AIWW process, and hope you can join AIWW on the journey to a circular and resilient water future. Former and new AIWW Young Ambassador - Andrea Kralikova (left) and Chrysoula Papacharalampou (right) 4

5 FACTS & FIGURES COMPONENTS AIWW Conference, Leaders Fora, Aquatech Exhibition, Young Water Professionals programme, Sarphati Sanitation Awards, Excursions, Side Events and a Public event. PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL WATER PRIZES: 3 Sarphati Lifetime Achievement Award Sarphati Young Entrepreneurs Award Aquatech Innovation Award 233 conference delegates visited one of the 9 EXCURSIONS. 260 LEADERS ATTENDED THE 3 LEADERS FORA ON CITIES, UTILITIES AND INDUSTRIES AQUATECH EXHIBITION REACHED 20,490 VISITORS AND WELCOMED 928 EXHIBITORS 50% INTERNATIONAL VISITORS 94 NATIONALITIES REPRESENTED AT THE AIWW CONFERENCE VISITORS FROM 140 COUNTRIES AT THE AQUATECH EXHIBITION 40 OFFICIAL COUNTRY DELEGATIONS AIWW 2017 WAS THE 4 th EDITION OF THIS BIENNIAL EVENT AIWW CONFERENCE ATTRACTED 1,248 DELEGATES 13% INCREASE COMPARED TO INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS AT THE AIWW CONFERENCE IN 9 SOLUTION WORKSHOPS AND 17 CASE SESSIONS On 4 themes: Institutional transition and governance Water efficiency and value Innovative water system implementations Water management and resilience 9 AMSTERDAM AGREEMENTS WERE SIGNED Leading companies, institutes and authorities in the international water sector jointly collaborate on a wide range of challenging issues on the global water agenda. Involving over 65 companies. 1. Human Cities Coalition 2. Berlin Wasserbetriebe and waternet 3. Blue Deal: safe water for 20 milion people 4. FMO NWP: develop and finance international water initiatives 5. Water in the Circular Economy (WiCE) 6. Living with the sea 7. Allied Waters, AquaMinerals and KWR: Upscale water resource recovery 8. NYC Environmental Protection and Waternet 9. HOFOR Copenhagen and Waternet AMSTERDAM INTERNATIONAL WATER WEEK 2017 WAS SUPPORTED BY 16 SPONSORS AND THE DUTCH MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, THE MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS AND CLIMATE POLICY AND THE MINISTRY OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND WATER MANAGEMENT, THROUGH THE PARTNERS FOR WATER PROGRAMME.

6 Proud to present the sponsors of the Amsterdam International Water Week 2017 Conference: Gold sponsors Silver sponsors Bronze sponsors Organisers of the Amsterdam International Water Week Powered by 6