The Water and WASH Futures event series will bring together both WASH and WRM professionals to discuss the challenges facing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 6 targets, in the context of a changing climate and in the midst of a global pandemic.
Since the postponement of the Water and WASH Futures Conference until 14-18 February 2023, the committee has been busy reshaping Water and WASH Futures to become a series of three forums: two virtual symposiums and the in-person conference.
The Water and WASH Futures series of forums builds on the successes of the WASH Futures Conference series, providing a community of practice for water and WASH professionals to improve the quality and scale of impacts of Water and WASH development programs. This is achieved by improving the capabilities of Water and WASH professionals to design and implement best appropriate practices, including managing multi-sectoral issues such as integration of WASH and water resources management, integration with health and education sectors, addressing cross-cutting issues such as gender and social inclusion, climate change, disaster resilience, and urbanisation.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the critical need for WASH to prevent and mitigate infectious diseases. The timing of the pandemic caused the Water and WASH Futures Conference to be postponed to 2022 to ensure participation of international delegates, however, it has also raised opportunities for additional knowledge-sharing and learning activities. During 2020-2022 many countries will grapple with COVID-19 and seek to improve their WASH services and outcomes in order to mitigate the impacts. The Water and WASH Futures Conference Hosts and Committee decided to build on the strength of the Water and WASH Futures community by planning two additional virtual symposiums in the lead-up to the conference.
The first event – the WASH & The COVID-19 Pandemic Virtual Symposium, 21-22 April 2021, will include panel discussions and workshops and will be held in a virtual events platform, accessible worldwide. A second virtual symposium will follow later in 2021, in the lead-up to the Water and WASH Futures in-person conference in February 2023.
Committees with diverse experience have been convened to guide the design and delivery of the Water and WASH Futures forums. The Committees have invested considerable time and enthusiasm in developing both the new virtual symposiums and the in-person conference themes and preparing an exciting conference program, and we thank them for their generosity.
View CommitteesNothing! Participation in these virtual symposiums is free, due to the generous support of our key partners: Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Water for Women Fund and Grand Challenges Canada.
Registrations open May 2022, however, in the meantime you can register your interest here, subscribe to the IWC newsletter and follow our social media pages for updates.
The Host organisations and Committees will determine the timing and theme of the second virtual symposium by around May 2021. We expect that the online forum will be held around September 2021.
Images on this page have been kindly supplied by Water for Women Fund
Thank you for your interest in the Water and WASH Futures. If you have any questions relating to the events, please contact us via the link below.
Contact usFor information and resources from past conferences, please click the link below.
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