University of Arizona to Participate in Historic UN Water Conference

March 10, 2023
un water conference graphic hands holding water

The UN 2023 Water Conference, scheduled for March 22–24, 2023, will bring together over 6,500 people from across the globe. Only the second UN water conference (the first was held in 1977 in Argentina), the three-day event is co-hosted by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Tajikistan. It is no accident that the conference is scheduled to coincide with World Water Day on March 22. Organizations across the globe are engaging in events to mark this day. The many sessions and side events at the UN Water Conference will showcase the global momentum for addressing the broad challenges surrounding water, particularly efforts to further achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, “Ensure access to water and sanitation for all.” WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal will attend, along with others participating through UArizona accreditation, including Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy Director Andrea K. Gerlak and UArizona graduate student Wilzave Quiles Guzmán. Megdal is involved in multiple sessions.

The WRRC co-organized with the Water & Tribes Initiative | Colorado River Basin the side event on “The Role of Indigenous People in Governing Shared Waters.” This session will feature Arizona Tribal leaders Chairwoman Amelia Flores and Governor Stephen Roe Lewis. The WRRC is a partner for “Elevating Critical Voices in Water Diplomacy,” hosted by the Women in Water Diplomacy Network and Red Dot Foundation, and “Groundwater: An Invisible Cross-Sectoral Fundament for Implementation of the Water Action Agenda,” organized by Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa in partnership with UNESCO. Director Megdal will also facilitate a panel for the latter event. The day before the conference begins, several of UArizona’s delegation will participate in an all-day Water Diplomacy Symposium.

If you cannot attend the conference, you will be able to follow proceedings via UN Web TV (no registration required) and can also read through all conference documentation on the UN website. Additionally, UArizona conference delegates Megdal, Gerlak, and Quiles Guzmán look forward to participating in the WRRC special webinar, Impressions and Takeaways from the UN 2023 Water Conference, on March 28 at 4:00 PM Arizona time. Registration for the webinar is now open at the link below.

Image: Creative Vix