From March 22-24, the UN 2023 Water Conference took place in New York, co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands. Over 500 side events were organized in connection with the Conference, both in-person and virtually. HCSS is proud to have hosted and co-hosted a number of these side events, together with our partners.
“Water is a critical resource for managing the great societal challenges of today. Thinking more strategically about water will be essential to combat climate change, secure human well-being, and preserve national security”, HCSS senior strategic analyst and climate security expert Laura Birkman stated, on the importance of the Conference, at a time when climate change is exacerbating a global water crisis that is severely affecting half the world’s population.
“Thinking more strategically about water will be essential to combat climate change, secure human well-being, and preserve national security”
HCSS senior strategic analyst Laura Birkman
On Friday, March 24th, senior strategic analyst and climate security expert Laura Birkman presented the HCSS security assessment framework at a panel discussion organised by The Weather Makers, in collaboration with partners HCSS, Anthesis and Tamatta, at the UN Headquarters.
This panel on ‘Nature-based Solutions for Water and Peace’ used a practical and well-researched case-study for the Sinai Peninsula to demonstrate how we can turn the tide of soil degradation and water scarcity in a conflict affected area while taking into account the social, economic, political and security dynamics of a region.
“To manage the vicious cycle between water scarcity and instability, it is critical to develop adaptation solutions that are nature-based and conflict-sensitive, so that efforts to improve a situation don’t lead to further strains and stresses at local and community level,” Laura Birkman reflected on the panel.
“To manage the vicious cycle between water scarcity and instability, it is critical to develop adaptation solutions that are nature-based and conflict-sensitive.”
HCSS senior strategic analyst Laura Birkman
Other high-level speakers in the panel included:
- Juliette Kool, Water Resource Engineer at The Weather Makers
- Bianca Nijhof, Moderator, Associate Director at Anthesis Group
- John D Liu, Member of the Advisory Board of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
- Tom Middendorp, Chair of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS)
- Dennis Kerkhoven, Co-founder at Tamatta
- Lara Muller, Director Public Sector at Invest International
- Robert De Bruin, Director Corporate Affairs at Van Oord
Topics addressed include the opportunity for the offshore industry and water sector to play a leading role in the regeneration of ecosystems worldwide; how data, science and technology can be redirected to support the design ecosystem-based management approaches; novel blended finance arrangements; and future-proof investment strategies for Nature-based Solutions.
The UN 2023 Water Conference comes at a moment when climate change is exacerbating a global water crisis that is severely affecting half the world’s population, and presented an unparalleled opportunity to advance water on the global sustainable development agenda.
The events attracted wide participation from around the world and left the participants feeling invigorated and inspired. Or, as HCSS special strategic advisor Tom Middendorp put it: “On the third day of the UN Water Conference we ran out of water quotes and one-liners, but we did not ran out of sense of urgency.”
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