Date: 16 January 2015.
Location: Tryp Hotel (In English)
Coordinators: Alice Bouman-Dentener from Women for Water Partnership, WfWP, and Bart Devos from World Youth Parliament for Water, WYPW
Since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, 1992), there has been a call for the broadest public participation in poverty eradication and sustainable development. Civil society is increasingly seen as a key player in this process, complementing the work of state actors and intergovernmental organisations1.
Civil society is a constantly shifting concept describing the social formation that is intermediate between "the family", "the state" and "the market". Edwards (2000, page 7) describes civil society as: "the arena in which people come together to advance the interests they hold in common, not for profit or political power, but because they care enough about something to take collective action".
There is no unified definition of civil society, and different organizing principles are used in classifying non-state actors. We follow the classification of UNCED Agenda 212 which distinguishes nine Major Groups in society with common but differentiated responsibilities in implementing the water and sustainable development agenda: 1) Women, 2) Children and Youth, 3) Indigenous People and their Communities, 4) NGOs, 5) Local Authorities, 6) Workers and their Trade Unions, 7) Business and Industry, 8) the Scientific and Technological Community, and 9) Farmers. Agenda 21 includes concrete measures to strengthen these Major Groups so that they can form effective partnerships that make sustainable development a reality on the ground.
In the Conference we are concentrating on the first four categories of Major Groups: Women, Youth, Indigenous Peoples and NGOs, covering the volunteer groups in society that are considered by the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a category of specific importance for implementation3 .
The conference has four thematic focuses. The Civil Society Sessions will have an specific sub-focus reflecting main water-related challenges, which civil society consider specially relevant to collaborate with local communities, countries and the international community:
The sessions in the civil society-pillar of the 2015 UN Water Annual Conference will shed light on how civil society can contribute most effectively and efficiently to bringing the post-2015 development agenda on water into action.
The different sessions will help to outline – from a civil society perspective - the main challenges concerning the four selected means of implementation: technology, capacity building, governance (including institutions and legal frameworks), and financing.
The sessions will propose solutions for effectively overcoming the obstacles for accelerated implementation with due consideration of the roles of civil society actors.
The sessions will serve to discuss civil society views about the role of other stakeholders In order to enhance the integration of the outcomes of the conference into other international processes, and with valorizing these outcomes, special attention will go to bringing the results of the conference to the Citizen's Forum of the 7th World Water Forum.
For each thematic session, a lead case has been identified from a different part of the world. The cases will be presented by the different civil society actors: Women, Youth, Indigenous People and NGOs. The four thematic panels will reflect on these cases with respect to technology, capacity development, governance issues and financing, and debate their views with the audience. In the closing panel, session conveners and international experts will synthesize the outcomes of the thematic sessions and propose priorities and recommendations for the implementation toolkit.
08:30-09:00 Introduction to the day and the sessions
>> Civil Society: key contributors to water and sustainable development
09:00- 11:00 Civil Society and the Human Right to safe drinking water and sanitation
This session will discuss Financing, Technology, Capacity development and Governance issues for the implementation of the Human Right to water and sanitation. Specifically what needs to be done to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all; end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations; and supporting and strengthening the participation of local communities for improving water and sanitation management.
During the session, some of the issues addressed in relation to the tools for implementation will include:
Overview presentation/Introduction
Main case study
Discussion panel
>> Civil Society and the Human Right to safe drinking water and sanitation
11:00 – 13:00 Civil Society dealing with water scarcity and allocation
The session will address the challenges and issues to deal with water scarcity. This will include the need for substantially increasing water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater, and implementing integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
Civil Society participation in water resources management is essential. Sound, effective and equitable water management requires the involvement of multiple stakeholders at all levels, from high-level decision-makers, through to water managers, utility workers, implementers and technical personnel, as well as policy-makers from governments and the private sector, through to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), indigenous peoples' organizations and citizen water user groups4.
At the national level, all of these stakeholders need to be invited to participate in negotiations around water. When considering the management of transboundary water resources, nations need to sit together as stakeholders in similar processes.
Some key issues to be addressed during the session include:
Overview presentation/Introduction
Main case study presentation
Panellists
>> Civil Society dealing with water scarcity and allocation
14:00-15:30 Civil Society and water quality and protecting and preserving ecosystem services
The challenges of water quality need to be addressed with the participation of Civil Society. The water quality challenges including those for reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials; improving wastewater management and the recycle/reuse; protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems; achieving environmentally sound management of chemicals and waste throughout their life cycle and significantly reducing their release into air, water and soil to minimize their impacts on human health and the environment; preventing the introduction and significantly reducing the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems, and controlling or eradicating them.
Some issues to be addressed in this session include:
Overview presentation
Stefano Barchiesi, IUC
Panellists
>> Civil Society and water quality and protecting and preserving ecosystem services
15:45-17:30 Civil Society and adaptive planning and management
This session will address the main challenges of the global community, related to water-related disasters, and their consequences for the people and economy, in particular for the poor and vulnerable people. Water crises and extreme weather events such as floods and droughts
Dealing with risks requires the involvement of civil society. This session will deal with the role of community preparedness in flood risk management.
Overview presentation/Introduction
Main case study
Panellists
>> Civil Society and adaptive planning and management
18:00-18:30 International Experts Panel
Reporters
1Leadership Council, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (2013): An Action Agenda for Sustainable Development; report to the UN Secretary General
2United Nations Conference on Environment and Development; Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 1992. Section III Strengthening the Role of Major Groups
3WSSD Plan of Implementation (2002), paragraph 168.
4Planet Under Pressure, p. 6
5United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, 2013, p. 7
6Post-2015 Water Thematic Consultation, 2013, p. 14
7United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, 2013, p. 7
>> Conveners and partners
>> Objectives and expected outcomes
>> Conference flyer
>> Agenda
>> Structure
>> Participants
>> Accommodation
>> Travelling to Zaragoza
>> Your stay in Zaragoza
>> Map
>> Rio+20
>> Water and sustainable development
>> Global commitments on water
>> A post-2015 global goal for water
>> Water and the Open Working Group (OWG)
>> The role of actors involved
>> Capacity development
>> Financing and economic instruments
>> Governance frameworks
>> Technology
>> Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
>> Water Resources Management
>> Water Quality
>> Risk management
>> Technical visit: La Cartuja
>> Technical visit: The Ebro River Basin Authority and its Automatic System for Hydrologic Information (SAIH)
>> Technical visit: Expo + Water Park
>> New sources: Wastewater reuse
>> Local level actions in decentralized water solidarity towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
>> Water Footprint Assessment
>> Technological advances and Water Policy
>> Cultivando Agua Boa Programme
>> CODIA and water and energy in LAC
>> The fulfillment of the human right to water and sanitation
>> Achieving sustainable water for all in LAC
>> Achieving water security for Asia and the Pacific
>> Ensuring implementation of the water-related SDGs in Europe
>> Setting the scene
>> Academia
>> Business
>> Civil society
>> Governments and local authorities
>> Media and Communicators
>> Multi-stakeholder dialogue on tools for implementation
>> Cases
>> Conference daily
>> Conference Communications Report
>> Discussion forum
>> Information briefs on Water and Sustainable Development
>> Interviewing conference participants
>> Overview Papers
>> Presentations from participants
>> Session Reports
>> Tool Papers
>> Toolbox
>> Twitter Activity Report
>> Video recording of sessions
>> Video interviews with conference participants
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