Stockholm World Water Week 2023 Asia-Pacific Focus Session

Stockholm World Water Week will be held in a hybrid format from the 20th to the 24th of August, 2023. The theme of this year is “Seeds of Change: Innovative Solutions for a Water-Wise World.”

Asia-Pacific Water Forum (Secretariat: JWF) is organizing the 5 sessions with our co-partner organizations in line with this year’s topic.

1: Enhancing Local Resilience through Water-Culture-Innovation Nexus

21^st August 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST (Hybrid)
Conveners: APWF, UNESCO multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia, Asian Development Bank (ADB), GWP CACENA, International WaterCentre

2: Quest for the Holy Grail: accelerating investment in water

22^nd August 2023, 9:00 am – 10:30 am (Hybrid)
Convenors: ADB, APWF, OECD, WaterEquity

3 Adapting to Climate Change: Innovative Approaches to Water Governance

22^nd August 11:00 am -12:30 pm CEST
Conveners: APWF, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), ADB, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), International WaterCentre, Korea Water Forum, Water Integrity Network (WIN)

4. Breaking with Business as Usual: Sanitation Innovations in the Asia-Pacific

23^rd August 9:00 am -10:30 am (Hybrid)
Convenors: Japan Sanitation Consortium (JSC), ADB, APWF, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

5 Collaborate to Accelerate: Innovating for future-focused water security

Wednesday 23 August, 8:00am – 9:00am CEST (Online)
Convenors: Asian Development Bank, Asia-Pacific Water Forum, Australian Water Partnership, Global Water Partnership, Imagine H2O.

Join Us! Participation online is free of charge.
Registration for Stockholm 2023 https://www.worldwaterweek.org/tickets

The overall program of Stockholm 2023 is
https://worldwaterweek.org/programme-2023

◆Overview of each 5 session co-organized by the APWF

1: Enhancing Local Resilience through Water-Culture-Innovation Nexus
21^st August 11:00 am -12:30 pm CEST (Hybrid) Location: C1

Conveners:
APWF, UNESCO multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia, ADB, GWP CACENA, International WaterCentre

Water, culture, and innovation have been strongly interlinked throughout human history. Water is vital to all forms of life on earth, and culture greatly determines our coexistence with nature. Innovation has been the driver for enhancing water availability and protection against water-related disasters. Water-Culture-Innovation Nexus presents how people manage their water resources, their adaptation to the environment in which they live, and innovations to improve greater efficiency, protection, and sustainability in water environments.

　”Early Warning for All” is imperative in Asia and the Pacific, where two-thirds of the global deaths and victims of water-related disasters occur annually. The region bears half of the estimated global economic brunt from catastrophes. But such losses could be prevented and reduced significantly if the local indigenous knowledge along with historical and cultural heritage and wisdom deeply rooted in local communities, can be better understood and expanded to deploy in dealing with water-clustered disasters. And the costs for the early warning will considerably decline accordingly. Precaution, prevention, and protection informed by local and indigenous knowledge are vital principles in early warming. By integrating water culture and innovation into an early warning system and the other hard and soft measures, one can create a holistic approach that leverages both the latest technological advancements and the collective wisdom of communities, ultimately enhancing the overall effectiveness of disaster risk reduction efforts. We need to understand better the nexus of water-culture-innovation for countries and communities in the region, particularly the role of culture in our present and future early warning and hydrologic solutions.

　This session shares evidence-based practices and intellectual development that will help shape the resilience framework, discuss how best to utilize the well of wisdom in our region and deliver recommendations for actions to decision-makers in the region for culturally informed water innovations.

Program

Session Introduction: Yumiko Asayama, APWF Secretariat c/o Chief Manager, JWF

Distinguished Opening Speech:
H.E. Dr. Ir. M. Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of Public Works and Housing, Republic of Indonesia

Presentations:
Transdisciplinary approaches in integrating water and culture for sustainable river basin management
Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director, UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia

ADB experiences on community-based DRR and FFEWS
Mr. Geoffley Wilson, Senior Water Resources Specialist
Sustainable Development Geoffrey Wilson and Climate Change Department

Solomon Islands case
Dr. Collin Benjamin, Solomon Islands National University (Young Professional)

Water resources of Ryukyu islands, southernmost Japan
Dr. Ryuichi Shinjo
Professor, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature / University of the Ryukyus

Enhancing Local Resilience through Water-Culture-Innovation Nexus in Sri Lanka
Eng Janaki Meegastenna, Former Additional Director General, Irrigation Department, Sri Lanka

New-fashioned Water Governance in Central Asia to Make Future Water Developments Viable and Durable
Dr. Vadim Sokolav, CEO Agency of IFAS, TEC Chair GWP CACEN

Panel discussion and interaction with the audience
Panelist: The above speakers
Onsite moderator: Ms. Yumiko Asayama
Online moderator: Dr. Ai Sugiura UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia

Wrap up

2: Quest for the Holy Grail: accelerating investment in water
22 August 2023, 9:00 am-10:30 am (Hybrid Format) Location: C1

Convenors: Asian Development Bank, Asia Pacific Water Forum, OECD, WaterEquity

The session will present an overview of the current water security financing needs in Asia and the Pacific. The session will also examine challenges in attracting private sector investment, how to use public sector financing more effectively and efficiently to support water security, as well as other innovative financing tools. It will present good practices and cases from the region on overcoming these identified challenges to attract and sustain investment in water.

Program

Welcome and introduction from Session Moderator
Tom Panella, Director, Natural Capital Team, Agriculture, Food, Nature and Rural Development Sector Office, Sectors Group, Asian Development Bank

Distinguished Opening Speech:
H.E. Dr. Ir. M. Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of Public Works and Housing, Republic of Indonesia

Presentation 1: What factors contribute to the enabling environment for water finance? Presentation of Score Card for selected Asian countries.
Delia Sanchez Trancon, Water Team, OECD

Presentation 2: Accelerating investment in water and nature to protect and restore ecosystems
Sophie Trémolet, Europe Freshwater Director, The Nature Conservancy

Presentation 3: Accelerating investment in Indonesia’ water sector
Dr Herry Trisaputra Zuna, Director General of Infrastructure Finance, Ministry of Public Works and Housing Indonesia

Presentation 4: Investor views for opportunities to invest in water and sanitation
Mónica A. Altamirano, PhD, Director, Climate Impact, WaterEquity

Presentation 5: Transitioning water utilities from sovereign to non-sovereign borrowing in Vietnam
Satoshi Ishii, Director, Strategy and Partnerships Team, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, Sectors Group of the Asian Development Bank

Presentation 6: Leveraging private investment in the sanitation and wastewater sector in India
Meera Mehta, Executive Director at Center for Water and Sanitation, CRDF, CEPT University (online)

Q&A/Interactive discussion among panelists

Summary and Closing

3: Adapting to Climate Change: Innovative Approaches to Water Governance
22^nd August 11:00 am -12:30 pm CEST (Hybrid format) Location: C1

Conveners: Asia Pacific Water Forum, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), Asian Development Bank, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), International WaterCentre, Korea Water Forum, Water Integrity Network

Overview
The session aims to showcase innovative solutions and best practices in managing water resources for climate change adaptation and the mitigation of the impacts of climate change. The session will explore the role of technology, community participation, and policy reforms in achieving effective water governance. By sharing these successful case studies, the session aims to inspire and catalyze action toward building a sustainable and climate-resilient future for water resources, benefiting current and future generations.

Program

Session Introduction: Yumiko Asayama, APWF Secretariat c/o Chief Manager, Japan Water Forum

Distinguished Opening Speech:
H.E. Dr. Ir. M. Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of Public Works and Housing, Republic of Indonesia

Presentations
Dr. Regina Souter, Director, International WaterCentre, Griffith University

Dr. Avi Sarkar Regional Advisor – South-East Asia, UBS, UN-Habitat

Dr. Giriraj Amarnath, Research Group Leader – Water Risk to Development and Resilience, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Dr. Tom Panela,
Director, Natural Capital Team, Agriculture, Food, Nature and Rural Development Sector Office, Sectors Group, Asian Development Bank

Mr. Takahiro Konami, Director, International Affairs Office, Water and Disaster Management Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, Tourism (MLIT) Japan

Dr. Eun Namkung, Vice-president of Korea Water Forum

Dr Mary Galvin, Research Co-ordinator, Water Integrity Network

Panel discussion and interaction with the audience
Onsite moderator: Ms. Yumiko Asayama
Online moderator: Ms. Changhua Wu, APWF Governing Council Vice Chair

Wrap up

4. Breaking with Business as Usual: Sanitation Innovations in the Asia-Pacific
23^rd August 9:00 am -10:30 am (Hybrid) Location: C1

Convenors: Japan Sanitation Consortium (JSC), Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

Ensuring access to sanitation services can be a major challenge for the poor and vulnerable. Poor households have limited funds and may prioritize other expenditures over sanitation, particularly as willingness to pay for these services and understanding the benefits of investing in sanitation are generally low. Even for the motivated ones, the costs of sanitation services – that is, the initial cost for ensuring access, but also the recurrent costs for management and maintenance – can be a major barrier to inclusive sanitation. Informal settlements house also the poor and marginalized in zones usually located outside the municipal areas receiving or targeted for sanitation services. The goal of Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) is to ensure that everyone has access to sustainable sanitation services. This requires several steps such as Identifying and targeting poor and marginalized households, generating demand for sanitation through awareness-raising communication, involving communities in decision-making for project ownership, designing financial schemes with different options and accountable mechanisms, and monitoring. This session will explore several of these aspects through different perspectives.

Program

Introduction
・Session introduction from on-site moderator: Dr. Pierre Flamand (Manager – International Affairs, Japan Sanitation Consortium)　
・Opening remarks from beneficiary: challenges in providing sanitation access to the poor
・Presentation from a development partner: Mr. Brian Arbogast (Director, Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
・Presentation from a government: Mr. G. Asok Kumar, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga, Ministry of Jal Shakti, India

Panel discussion
・Mr. Patrick Lester N. Ty (Chief Regulator, Metropolitan Waterworks & Sewerage System, Philippines)
・Ms. Kate Medlicott (Sanitation Team Leader, WASH Team, World Health Organization)
・Prof. V Srinivas Chary (Centre Director and Professor, Administrative Staff College of India)
・Ms. Genevieve Kelly (Program Director, Partnership for Better Living, SATO, part of LIXIL)

Moderator (Online)：Ms. Mitzi Borromeo (Award-winning Broadcast Journalist with CNN Philippines)

Summary and concluding remarks
・Mr. Satoshi Ishii (Director, Strategy and Partnerships, Water and Urban Sector Group, Asian Development Bank)

5 Collaborate to Accelerate: Innovating for future-focused water security
Wednesday 23 August, 8:00 am – 9:00am CEST (60 minutes)

Convenors: Asian Development Bank, Asia-Pacific Water Forum, Australian Water Partnership, Global Water Partnership, Imagine H2O.

The session will discuss the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration to successfully test, validate and embed future-focused innovation in the water sector. The discussion will revolve around the drivers, barriers, and enablers for collaborative innovations on digitalization, NBS, WASH, climate change, and water-nexus approaches; and will be supported by case studies.

Program

Moderator: Allison Woodruff, Principal Water Security Specialist, ADB

Welcome/Introduction
Satoshi Ishii, Director, Strategy and Partnerships Team, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, Sectors Group, ADB

Presentation 1: Asian Development Bank
Collaboration and Partnerships with ADB
Geoffrey Wilson, Senior Water Resources Specialist, ADB

Presentation 2: Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS)
Government Interaction
Theerawat Samphawamana, Director, Planning Division, MRCS

Presentation 3: Australian Water Partnership (AWP)
Resilient and Climate Smart Water
Sarah Ransom, General Manager, AWP

Presentation 4: Global Water Partnership (GWP)
IWRM Action Hub and Youth & Young Water Professionals Platform
Laurent-Charles Tremblay-Lévesque
IWRM & Knowledge Management Specialist | Network Specialist for China and South Asia
Yumiko Yasuda
Senior Network & Transboundary Water Cooperation Specialist | GWP thematic lead on transboundary water cooperation | GWP Network specialist for Caribbean, Southeast Asia and Pan Asia

Presentation 5: Imagine H2O Asia
Making Innovation More Accessible Through Startup-Utility Partnerships
Annamarie Martin, Sr. Associate, Imagine H2O Asia

Panel Discussion
Panelists will be asked a series of questions:
1. What were collaboration approaches for this case study?
2. What worked, what did not work?
3. What was the impact (outcomes) of the collaboration?
Moderator: Allison Woodruff, Principal Water Security Specialist, ADB

Summary and Closing
Satoshi Ishii, Director, Strategy and Partnerships Team, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, Sectors Group, ADB

(Reported by Yumiko Asayama, Chief Manager)