Thursday, December 8th, 9:00 AM-10:00 AM
Session coordinator: ESCWA
Session contributor: IAH
Groundwater provides the primary access to water in remote areas and areas where public water networks are inaccessible or unavailable, it is part of climate change adaptation and of societal resilience to climate change and in sustaining rivers baseflow. Globally it provides nearly half of drinking water supplies, 40 per cent of irrigation water, playing a major role in food security, and one-third of industry demands. Yet, groundwater is undervalued with aquifer systems poorly understood and managed in many parts of the world.
With discussions refocused on groundwater for the year 2022, this session moves discussions from the global to the regional level by initiating a dialogue between representatives from the regions of the five United Nations regional commissions: the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
This session will draw on the Water Action Decade Regional Preparatory Meetings for the UN 2023 Water Conference to inform dialogues on overcoming challenges and promoting sustainable solutions in groundwater management. Therefore, the main objectives of this session are:
- Making groundwater more visible at regional level
- Exposing status, challenges, and opportunities of groundwater in each region
- Defining actions towards more responsible, sustainable use and protection of groundwater at regional level
- Contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework
Speakers
- Carol Chouchani Cherfane(Moderator)United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Director, Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies & Cluster Leader for Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability
- Khatim KHERRAZ(Rapporteur)Membre de l' Académie Française de l' Eau, Consultant
- Tracy Zaarour(Rapporteur)ESCWA, Research officer, Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability Cluster
- Rola Dashti(High Level Opening)United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
- Ziad Khayat(Overview Presentation)United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Coordinator IWRM for Improved Water Security, Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability Cluster
- Hon Carl H.G Schlettwein(Panelists)Namibia, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform
- H.E. Nizar Baraka(Panelists)Equipment and Water, Kingdom of Morocco, Minister
- Blanca Jimenez(Panelists)Ambassade du Mexique en France, Ambassador
- Abhijit Mukherjee(Panelists)Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Associate Professor
- Aleš Bizjak(Panelists)Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia, Lead international water cooperation expert, Vice-chair of the Water Convention
- H.E. Steffi Lemke(Statement by invited speakers)Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection of Germany, Federal Minister