The Bonn Water Network, the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), the UN Habitat/ Global Water Operators’ Partnership Alliance (GWOPA) and the city of Bonn cordially invite you to their special event on the occasion of the 5th global WOP’s congress:
Adapting Governance and Infrastructure for Water Resilience
Panel discussion on Tuesday, May 23rd 2023, 18:30 to 20:00
at the premises of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
Climate change causes an increase in extreme weather events in many countries of the world. This has drastic impacts for instance on food security, infrastructure and health, and challenges the very basis of human development. Many countries are experiencing such challenges for a long time, but events such as the 2021 floods in Germany’s Ahr-valley, only about 50 km from Bonn, show that we need to adapt here in Europe, too. The special event focuses on water resilience as a comprehensive approach that includes engineering resilience in water supply infrastructure, but also more integrative and ecologically‐centered approaches and institutional and governance dimensions. The special event will address these challenges with the following speakers:
- Opening remarks by Ines Dombrowsky, Head of Program Environmental Governance and Transformation to Sustainability, German Institute of Development and Sustainability
- Opening remarks by Michal Mlynár, Deputy Executive Director of UN-Habitat
- Panel discussion: Adapting Governance and Infrastructure for Water Resilience
- Ignatius Jean, Chairman of the Caribbean Waste and Water Association and steering committee member of GWOPA
- Georg Johann, Managing director of the flood competence center/ HochwasserKompetenzCentrum e.V.
- André Dzikus, Chief of Urban Basic Services Section at UN-Habitat
- Mariele Evers, Acting director of the department of geography at Bonn University and Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Human-Water Systems
Moderation: Annabelle Houdret (senior researcher at IDOS, speaker of the BonnWaterNetwork)
- Closing remarks by Melanie Grabowy, Deputy Mayor of the city of Bonn
A reception after the debate will provide opportunities for deepening the discussions and networking.
This special event is part of the 5th global WOP’s congress, ‘Resilience in challenging times: mobilizing collaboration for future-ready water and sanitation service providers’. It is organized by the BonnWaterNetwork.
Please register here (registration form). A guide will take you from the conference location to IDOS (Tulpenfeld 6, 53113 Bonn) at 18:15.
The Bonn Water Network consists of eleven renowned institutions with longstanding experience on water and related issues: the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC); Bonn University with its Institute of Geography (GIUB) holding the UNESCO Chair in Human Water Systems, the Center for Development Research (ZEF) and the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health (IHPH); the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS); the IUCN Environmental Law Centre; and three Bonn-based UN institutions: the United Nations Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Global Water Operators Partnerships Alliance (UN-Habitat/GWOPA). In addition, Berlin- based Water Integrity Network (WIN) and the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change (ICGWRC) based in Koblenz are partners of the BWN. For more information: www.bonnwaternetwork.de.
Please note: During our online, hybrid and presence events photos and/or videos or screenshots may be taken which may be published in various media for the purposes of documentation and PR activities. By participating in the event, you agree to this. You have the right to inform us at any time that you do not want to be photographed or filmed.
