World Water Week 2010

World Water Week is an annual meeting that works to address the state of water-related issues around the world

The theme for the 2010 World Water Week is: The Water Quality Challenge – Prevention, Wise Use and Abatement

This annual meeting organized by the Swedish International Water institute (SIWI) brings together over 2,500 individuals representing 200+ organizations from country governments, scientific, business, policy and civil society communities who are advancing work on the state of water sources, environmental health, livelihoods and poverty reduction agendas. It focuses on linking best practices, scientific understanding and policy and decision-making from a global perspective, but the context adjusts to differences/similarities between regions of the world, phases of development, political systems and climatic conditions.

CI’s team will be focused on profiling our portfolio of work in freshwater biodiversity, ecosystem management, service provision/valuation and climate change mitigation/adaptation. Our program of work forfreshwater security builds from sound science to effective field action and our flagship projects target critical freshwater ecosystems, threats to flows, and innovative, replicable solutions for the conservation of entire natural freshwater systems, from headwater to estuary.

We will also concentrate on forming collaborations with partners and continuing to support thebiodiversity agenda in the Environmental Flows Network (eFlowNet). Environmental flows (Eflows) describe the quantity, quality and timing of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the human livelihoods and well-being that depend upon them. The Eflows concept links the biophysical, including hydrological properties of natural systems, to freshwater-related services proved for people.

LEARN MORE: CI's Freshwater Publications & Documents

CI’s Participation

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Water and Climate in Focus: Changing Climate, Shifting Institutions: Building Governance and Capacity
This session focuses on how institutions can learn and evolve with shifting climate conditions. Existing tools for managing water under a stationary climate can stabilize freshwater systems stressed by unsustainable use and rapid development, but climate change creates moving targets. Governance regimes must be increasingly flexible, span multiple futures and assess risk.
Conveners: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Conservation International (CI), Cooperative Programme on Water and Climate (CPWC), German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Water Integrity Network (WIN) and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
15:30 – 18:40, Room T54

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

International Year of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management: Science-Policy Interfaces
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. Using real-world case studies and recent species data, this session will focus on integrating management of freshwater ecosystems and species into national, regional and international policies, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, bridging the gap between scientists and policy-makers.
Conveners: Conservation International (CI), International Union for the Conservation of Nature-Species Programme (IUCN), Global Water System Project (GWSP), City University of New York Environmental Cross-Roads Initiative, DIVERSITAS, Kings College London, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
14:00– 17:30, Room T4

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

UN Watercourses Convention - In Force by 2011 (Side Event)
This high-level ceremony will bring together a number of stakeholders, with emphasis on the Mediterranean region, to track and celebrate progress in the ratification of the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention towards the target of entry into force by 2011.
Conveners: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Conservation International (CI), Global Water Partnership (GWP) Mediterranean, Green Cross and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
12:45 – 13:45, Room K11