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Events

UN Groundwater Summit 2022

UN 2022 World Water Day official banner

Groundwater is invisible, and yet its impact is visible everywhere. On December 7 and 8, the UNESCO headquarters in Paris will hold the 2022 Groundwater Summit. The UN-Water Summit on Groundwater 2022 aims to bring attention to groundwater at the highest international level. The Summit will use the UN World Water Development Report 2022 as a baseline and the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework as a guideline to define actions towards more responsible and sustainable use and protection of this vital natural resource.

Pre-summit events

On December 6, a series of events, discussion panels and keynotes will take place in preparation for the two-day summit. Below is an overview of IHE Delft's participation.

  • Valuing Ancient Water Cultures. An Inspiring Source of Innovations for Sustainable Groundwater Management

    Learning from our watery past and involving people and communities in managing and monitoring groundwater quality and quantity are the prerequisites for enlightened water use that supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

    How can ancient groundwater management and practices inspire institutions and policy makers to address the current sustainability challenges? What lessons do ancestral hydro-technologies offer for future resilience planning? What is the role of water museums and education programs for more forward-looking water uses supporting the SDGs?

    During this session, IHE Delft rector Eddy Moors will speak on this topic while also representing the organiser of this session, the Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU-NET), which he is the president of.

  • Groundwater management and sustainable solutions for food and nature

    Livelihoods in the world's deltas are threatened under climatic and anthropogenic drivers, affecting water and food security and ecosystem values in these low-lying areas. The sustainable management of groundwater, including adequate alternatives for groundwater use and management provides an opportunity for climate adaptation, improving ecosystem health and food security, not just for Deltas, but for all countries facing groundwater challenges. IHE Delft Senior Lecturer and Researcher of Water Rights and Justice, Gabriela Cuadrado-Quesada will be participating.

  • Acceleration of Capacity Development Actions in the Water Resources Sector

    Climate change is changing the amount and location of surface water. To adapt to this change, communities are increasingly dependent on groundwater to meet their basic needs. Capacity development in the management of groundwater remains an area where greater effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability is needed in order to protect and preserve this valuable resource. This side event provides an opportunity for robust discussions on how to effectively accelerate technical capacity development to support meeting targets for SDG6 and how to integrate existing capacity development programmes of the IAEA, UN Agencies, financial institutions, science and academia that can feed into the High-Level Panel on Capacity Development on the 7th of December. Eddy Moors will be taking part in the panel discussion during this session. 

Day 3: Launch of the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition

On December 8, the special session of the UN-Water Summit on Groundwater will launch the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition – a multistakeholder partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, regional integration organizations, IFIs, academic institutions and civil society organizations – that will work to promote and support the sustaining and the advancement of transboundary water cooperation. 

Rector Eddy Moors will be taking part in the discussions representing IHE Delft.

Full programme and livestream

Don't miss out on the rest of the programme. Every event is available to the public online through a livestream. You can find an overview of all the sessions together with the time and their corresponding link on the official page.

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Our work on groundwater

Together with its partners, IHE Delft invests in research and education on society and groundwater interactions and the implementation of groundwater-based solutions to climate and global change. Our educational offer provides upcoming groundwater professionals with tools and expertise to make a difference and bring the sustainable use of groundwater to the forefront of the sustainable development goals.

Woman extracting water from a well