Organised by World Water Council and held once every three years, the World Water Forum is one of the leading global water events. This year, the 10th WWF took place in Asia Pacific for the first time ever, offering unparalleled opportunities for regional representation. Held in Bali, Indonesia, this year’s sessions were centred around the theme, ‘Water for Shared Prosperity’, gathering water experts, leaders and practitioners from across sectors to collaborate and co-develop state-of-art solutions to tackle global water challenges.
The Forum consisted of three concurrent processes – thematic, political and regional – alongside a fair and expo for all stakeholders.
AWP sessions at World Water Forum
The Australian Water Partnership collaborated with the Pacific Community (SPC) to deliver three sessions at the 10th World Water Forum under the Oceania sub-regional process, with a focus on water security and climate-resilient Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDs).
Pacific SIDs face unique climate-induced threats such as sea level rise, frequent tropical cyclones, coastal inundation, and droughts. While the links between climate change and water are well-recognised, those between climate change and sanitation are often overlooked.
Sanitation is crucial for poverty alleviation, human and ecosystem health, sustainable development, and climate resilience. Climate financing from donors is an increasingly important source of WASH financing, and yet globally, only $12 billion of $681 billion in climate financing has gone to WASH, and only 0.1% of that has prioritised basic WASH.
Our joint sessions focused on identifying the critical links between climate change and sanitation, emphasising the need to integrate WASH in broader climate agendas to promote climate resiliency in the region.
Speakers included representatives from Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Asian Development Bank and WaterAid, stressing the need to not only secure more funds for WASH but also spend them effectively. Panelists emphasised the role of social resilience in improving climate resilience and highlighted the need for better coordination between climate ministries.
AWP supported Pacific representation at the event including Misileti Satualla from PWWA, Akmal Ali from PIANGO, and Shirlee Rovou from WaterAid PNG who shared stories on Pacific resilience and explored case studies for integrating water security in disaster risk reduction and climate frameworks in the Pacific.
The sessions culminated in contributions to the Asia & Pacific Regional Synthesis Report, outlining the approach and outcomes from the process with a focus on climate change and renewable energy as drivers of change for the region.
Media engagement on climate and water
During the forum, the AWP team also assisted representatives from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network to connect with water professionals at the World Water Forum and receive first-hand information on climate and water issues, informing their environmental reporting. This was part of an Australian Government supported activity to support journalists reporting on water and climate issues in the Mekong subregion, and helping lower and middle-income countries in the region progress towards sustainable water management.
AWP support to Team Australia at the World Water Forum
Aside from engagement in the political, thematic and regional processes, Australian water knowledge was showcased at the Australia Booth, featuring contributions from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australian Centre for international Agriculture Research (ACIAR), Water for Women, CSIRO, Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Australian Water Partnership.
The booth provided networking opportunities with global stakeholders across the water sector and showcased the breadth of Australian water expertise through interactive displays, case studies and presentations.
At the Australian booth, AWP launched a new publication with the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation on ‘Understanding the Indo-Pacific Resilience: The Contribution of Water’. The brief presents strategic examples of contributions the water sector can make to climate mitigation and adaptation, with a special focus on national climate plans.
ACIAR Research Program Manager for Water Dr Neil Lazarow joined the launch to share insights into the direct and indirect long-term effects of the changing climate on agriculture and food security, outlining opportunities for how water issues can be brought to the foreground in climate adaptation conversations.
“The World Water Forum provided an opportunity to engage with our Partners across the region and showcase Australia’s efforts towards achieving SDG6,” said AWP Strategy and Operations Lead Anita Walters. “Addressing the water security challenges of Small Island Developing States across the Pacific is an urgent priority and it was rewarding to support participation and enlightening to hear progress and opportunities available towards financing for WASH in the region.”
This year’s World Water Forum highlighted the critical role of international cooperation in addressing water-related challenges, with stakeholders demonstrating a strong collective commitment to action.
Featured image: Australia Booth (Photo: DCCEEW)