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Water and disaster risk reduction expert joins Water Policy Group

Water Policy Group welcomed another renowned global water expert in November 2024, announcing Professor Kenzo Hiroki as its latest member.

A global expert in the field of water and disaster risk reduction, Professor Hiroki has 40 years of experience in research and development, budgeting and financing, and policy formulation and legislation related to water resources management and disaster risk reduction.

He is currently Professor of the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies (GRIPS) of Japan and Coordinator of the High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP).

Water Policy Group member Ms Mercedes Castro said, “I celebrate Professor Hiroki joining us. There is so much to do to improve water outcomes globally, we can all benefit from his insights and experience. Professor Hiroki’s deep knowledge and understanding of water issues will undoubtedly strengthen our capacity to achieve our mission.”

Professor Hiroki is highly respected within the global water community and has been awarded for his achievements and impact. In April 2024, Prof Hiroki was appointed Commander of the Orange-Nassau, the highest Dutch decoration to civilians, by His Majesty the King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, for his outstanding contribution to global community in the field of water and disaster risk reduction.

He has also held positions as a Member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB); Vice Chairperson of Global Water Partnership (GWP); Director for Innovation, Science and Technology within the Cabinet Office of Japan; and Vice Rector of College of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Tourism, and Transport.

Water Policy Group member, Dr Olcay Ünver emphasised Dr Hiroki’s global leadership on water and disaster risk reduction, saying, “Given the increased risk of water-based disasters due to global warming, and the leadership of the HELP in showing how these risks can be better understood and managed, it is a great time for Dr Hiroki to be joining us.”

Member Mr Tony Slatyer said he is looking forward to working with Kenzo Hiroki on future projects.

“We are currently planning a third survey of national water leaders and Global Water Policy Report, and to progress a range of new policy initiatives. I am excited that Professor Hiroki will be contributing to these endeavours,” Mr Slatyer said.

Professor Hiroki joins nine other members in the Water Policy Group: Mr Pablo Bereciartua, Ms Anne Castle, Ms Mercedes Castro, Dr Jane Doolan, Ms Felicia Marcus, Mr Dhesigen Naidoo, Mr Tony Slatyer, Mr Tom Soo and Dr Olcay Ünver.

Download PDF statement

Water Policy Group
4 December 2024

Anne Castle contributes to critical reference guide for Tribes seeking to access to clean water

Water Policy Group member Anne Castle recently played a pivotal role in producing a resource that provides Tribal communities in the United States with guidance on how to secure federal funding to improve their access to safe and clean drinking water.

The Initiative on Universal Access to Clean Water (UACW), of which Castle is a Founder and Advisor, released its Tribal Handbook on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act Funding on 17 July 2024. The Handbook aims to help Tribes to overcome challenges and navigate the process from identifying their funding needs to obtaining the necessary funds for essential drinking water projects.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) aim to increase, improve, and maintain access to safe and clean drinking water, and together they provide the largest federal investment to date in upgraded infrastructure and climate resilience. Targeted funding is available to address the drinking water needs of Tribal communities, but some barriers remain for Tribes in accessing this funding.

The Tribal Handbook was produced in an effort to ensure that Tribal communities are able to access and deploy this funding, and that meaningful gains are made in reducing the water access gap in Indian country.

Heather Tanana, leader of the UACW Initiative and Citizen of the Navajo Nation discussed the critical need for this handbook, stating: “While substantial and unprecedented levels of funding have been made available through the BIL and IRA, moving funds from the agencies into the hands of Tribes is proving to be challenging. There are multiple agency funding sources, differing application and awarding processes, and varying types of projects and activities eligible for funding. In addition, most of this money is strictly time limited.”

By transforming the federal approach to Tribal water access, UACW envisions a future where federal funds are effectively utilized, resources are adequately secured, and Tribal water access challenges are significantly mitigated over the next 20 years.

Further information is available www.tribalcleanwater.org.

 

Supporting the COP28 Call to Action: Water for Climate Solutions

Water Policy Group welcomes the Call to Action: Water for Climate Solutions made at COP 28 by the Water and Climate Leaders.

The Call is for water and climate policy alignment, mutual support and mainstreaming actions, all of which are supported by the messages from our Listening to National Water Leaders project.

Water Policy Group particularly welcomes the inclusion of ‘policy scaffolding‘ in the proposed mutual support actions and the mainstreaming of water into UNFCCC processes which we have long advocated.

Water Policy group also believes it is time for the COP cover statement to recognise the full range of water and climate interdependencies, as has now been presented to the COP for the first time.

Upcoming webinars: Global Water Policy Insights

Gain insights from national water ministers, water agency heads, and other leaders responsible for national water issues in 126 countries.

In these webinars, Water Policy Group presents findings from its groundbreaking project, ‘Listening to National Water Leaders,’ conducted over 2021-23.

The results of this project are featured in the 2021 and 2023 Global Water Policy Reports, available at waterpolicygroup.com, and will be discussed in three global webinars over a two week period.

Register at no cost for the webinar that best suits your schedule. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

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Best for Americas
14 November, 1800-1900 GMT /  1300-1400 EST
Best for Europe,  Africa & west Asia
16 November, 1200-1300 GMT /  1300-1400 CET
Best for Asia and Oceania
20 November, 0300-0400 GMT / 1400-1500 AEDT

World Food Day: Opportunities have an expiry date!

Water security and food security are intrinsically linked. But we are moving far too slowly to make safe and clean water and sanitation accessible to everyone, and falling dangerously short in the quest to achieve zero hunger by 2030. Our current status and the prevailing trends in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are putting humanity on a very risky path.

Agriculture, our biggest water user, will need to respond to an estimated 50 percent increase in global food demand over the next 20 years. We must accomplish this by significantly increasing productivity, diversifying crops, and improving resource use efficiency. Recent projections from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicate that ‘business as usual’ could lead to an unsustainable 30 percent increase in agricultural water withdrawals. Meanwhile, household, industrial, and energy uses continue to rise, and there is less predictability and more volatility in water supply due to climate change. We are also facing increased water demand for climate mitigation measures such as for biofuels, hydrogen generation and commitment of reservoir capacity for hydropower (reported here) that further add to these pressures. These stressors have the potential to exacerbate conflict risks across regions and sectors.

A major paradigm shift is needed to rebalance policies, financing methods and levels, production and consumption patterns, and our lifestyle choices.

Water Policy Group’s Global Water Policy Reports 2021 and 2023 indicate that national water leaders see climate change as the highest risk to achieving their water objectives. The reports also indicate that national government leaders responsible for health, energy, environment, and food security do understand the significance of water for their sectoral objectives, but adequate responses are few and far between because water is not high enough on government agendas or is a low funding priority.

It is high time we turn this picture around and significantly accelerate our efforts towards achieving the SDGs and their targets for water and food security for all. A rapidly closing window of opportunity exists for governments to elevate water among national priorities, develop cross-sectoral policy, and improve governance that promotes efficient water use while protecting the underprivileged including women, youth, indigenous communities, and smallholder farmers.

Sound national water policies will enhance national and global food security, provide major climate adaptation and mitigation benefits, support economic development, help stop and reverse biodiversity loss and environmental degradation and reduce disaster risk—all while providing water security for all.

Water security remains the most accessible building block for SDG 2 toward zero hunger. It also supports the full suite of SDGs as well as our collective quest to halt global warming through a just transition to a low-carbon global economy. Water is too often taken for granted, despite having an extraordinarily high return on investment ratio.

Water Policy Group can support governments in their efforts. Our proposed ‘global scaffolding’ can provide the principles and guidance that may assist in achieving the right balance and the elusive ‘win-win’ solutions across sectors. When implemented, this ‘scaffolding’ would complement FAO’s National Water Roadmaps initiative.

Download the PDF statement

Water Policy Group
16 October 2023

NEW report reveals major challenges facing national water leaders

The 2023 Global Water Policy Report offers a fascinating glimpse into the thoughts, experiences and opinions of national water leaders from 92 countries, responsible for water policy and decision-making impacting a combined population of 5.7 billion people.

Released on Thursday 6 July by Water Policy Group, the 2023 Global Water Policy Report: Listening to national water leaders reveals insights from national water leaders on current water risks and challenges, how international processes can best support improved water outcomes at the national level, and issues of integration with other sectors.

Among their many messages, national water leaders are saying:

  • Inadequate infrastructure and data along with fragmented institutions are their greatest water challenges.
  • The international, multilateral scientific processes most useful to them are those that can provide water data and information, forecasts, projections and scenarios—as well as monitoring, evaluations, and assessments that can be used at a within-country scale.
  • Platforms like the Water Action Agenda that would enable countries to make public commitments in relation to water can help raise the priority of water in their government.

Water Policy Group member Tony Slatyer says, “Given the basic responsibility of governments for the well-being of the people under their jurisdiction, we are deeply interested in the experience and opinions of the Ministers and the senior officials who have this responsibility within governments. Policy makers and water practitioners in all countries and in all international organisations committed to improved water outcomes will also be interested in the particular and shared experience of these national water leaders.”

In 2022, invitations were sent by the President of the UN General Assembly (PGA) to all UN member States, through their UN New York-based Permanent Representatives, for Ministers responsible for water matters (or their top officials) to respond to the Water Policy Group survey. The key findings from the 2023 Global Water Policy Report helped to inform global dialogue at the United Nations 2023 Water Conference (22-24 March 2023), and the 2023 Water Policy Report sets out these findings in full.

The 2023 Global Water Policy Report: Listening to Water Leaders was prepared by the Water Policy Group in partnership with the University of New South Wales Sydney Global Water Institute.

Download the full report.

Water Policy Group
6 July 2023

Dr Olcay Ünver receives 2023 IWRA Crystal Drop Award

Water Policy Group congratulates member Dr Olcay Ünver on his receipt of the 2023 International Water Resources Association (IWRA) Crystal Drop Award, given for his outstanding and impactful contributions to the global water sector.

The IWRA Crystal Drop Award is bestowed upon organisations or individuals in recognition of their laudable contributions to the improvement of the world’s water situation. Awarded only every three years, it represents the highest level of recognition by IWRA and is one of the most esteemed awards available to individuals within the global water community.

In addition to being a valued member of Water Policy Group, Dr Ünver is currently Professor of Practice at Environmental and Resource Management Programme; Senior Global Futures Scientist at Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory; and Adjunct Faculty at Melikian Center at Arizona State University. He is also Industry Fellow at Australian Rivers Institute and serves as senior advisor to Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations and UNESCO.

In his public service career spanning over three decades, he served as Vice-Chair of UN-Water, led FAO’s water programmes and activities, and UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme. Earlier, he was a distinguished Professor at Kent State University, Ohio. In his home country, Turkey, he was President of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), where he transformed an engineering project of dams, power plants and irrigation systems into a sustainable human development programme integrating social development, employment creation, gender equality and environmental sustainability with infrastructure investments, which earned an IWRA Millennum Award.

Fellow Water Policy Group member Tony Slatyer congratulated Dr Ünver on behalf of the Group, saying, “We are so pleased with this recognition of Olcay’s tireless work in global water affairs. He is both a total professional and an enthusiast for the cause of improved water outcomes everywhere. We also acknowledge and warmly thank Olcay for his commitment and contribution to our Global Water Policy Reports, the 2023 edition of which is about to be published.”

The winners will officially receive their awards at a celebration during the XVIII World Water Congress in Beijing, China (September 11-15, 2023). A second IWRA Crystal Drop Award will be presented to the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water), for its contributions to global efforts in addressing water scarcity, promoting water security, and implementing efficient water management practices.

Water Policy Group
28 June 2023

Download PDF statement

Media enquiries: Trish Dalby | p.dalby@unsw.edu.au 

Anne Castle writes foreword for new book on the Colorado River

Water Policy Group member Anne Castle – former assistant secretary of the Interior for Water and Science and a Colorado River veteran – has written the foreword for a new book titled Living River – The Promise of the Mighty Colorado. The book explores the endangered Colorado River from source to sea with conservation photographer Dave Showalter, using powerful visual storytelling to illustrate how we can create a resilient watershed if we change our relationship with water.

A section of the foreword is shared below and the book is now available for purchase through Mountaineers Books.

“The Colorado River is a waterway of superlatives—the most volatile supplies, the most iconic landscapes, the most dammed, the most litigated, and, lamentably, the most threatened.  It is also a river of contrasts, encompassing thriving cities juxtaposed with large swaths of rural areas where many households lack clean drinking water, whitewater rapids providing challenge and recreation upstream of a dried-up estuary, and lush and lucrative farmland whose very viability is threatened by diminished supplies […] Imagery provides a visceral understanding of the value of this river. It deepens our sense of community and stimulates appreciation for the many ways in which this river is loved—and being loved to death. These stunning pictures and the stories that accompany them offer touchstones of understanding of the river’s dilemma and furnish a foundation for a stronger commitment to sustainability.”

Learn more about the book.

Key findings from latest National Water Leaders Survey

Water Policy Group has released key findings from its latest ‘Listening to National Water Leaders’ survey, as a contribution to the UN 2023 Water Conference (22-24 March 2023).

The results provide insights from water leaders about how the United Nations and other international processes can help achieve water outcomes at the country level.

Water leaders from 92 countries across all regions participated in this project. Together, these countries make up a combined population of 5.7 billion—or 73% of the world’s population. The findings are now available for all UN member States and other entities to use as they prepare for the UN 2023 Water Conference.

Water Policy Group
14 March 2023

Download report.

Media enquiries: Trish Dalby | p.dalby@unsw.edu.au