E5 Thirsty cities: Ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water
Water is essential for life, human dignity, and the health of people and planet. It is fundamental to our social, environmental, and cultural commons, and it is requisite to the realization and enjoyment of all other human rights.
This session will address the alarming water scarcity situation in some cities and regions, which require immediate action from leaders and implementers to provide safe, accessible and affordable water and sanitation for their population. From building adequate infrastructure to improving the governance mechanisms, this session will explore the multiple challenges to secure the provision of water and ultimately achieve the 2030 Agenda.
Speakers from different sectors and regions will discuss the intersection of the human right to water and sanitation and water justice with poverty eradication, gender equality, good health, climate action, and sustainable communities. Speakers will also discuss best practices to build adequate infrastructure, improve water efficiency and support treatment technologies in developing countries. The session will address the governance aspect of the problem and will present alternatives to improve multi-level and cross-sectorial collaboration.
Facilitator
Ruth Erlbeck
Project Director, Integrated resource management in Asian cities: The urban nexus, Bangkok, Thailand
Presenters
Jichkar Nanda
Mayor, Nagpur, India
Johannes Van Der Merwe
Councilor of Economic, Environmental and Spatial Planning, City of Cape Town, South Africa
Honouring Water: The struggle for clean water in Canada’s indigenous communities
Yannick Beaudoin
Director General, Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
Water Governance in Cities: an OECD perspective
Aziza Akhmouch
Head of the Cities, Urban Policies and Sustainable Development Division, Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), France
Curt Garringan
Chief, Sustainable Urban Development Section at UNESCAP, Bangkok