• Webinars
Water as the Connector: Bridging Climate, Land, Biodiversity, and Development
15.07.2026

Wednesday 15 July 2026 | 14:00-15:30 CEST | Online (Zoom) | Webinar no. 82

Background

Progress towards SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) remains off-track after more than a decade of global action under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Meanwhile, accelerating climate change, degrading ecosystems, and biodiversity loss, and increasing water stress continue to threaten sustainable development worldwide.

Water sits at the centre of these interconnected crises. Yet, the potential solutions designed and implemented to address them are often fragmented across sectors.

Our webinar, “Water as the Connector: Bridging Climate, Land, Biodiversity, and Development,” shifts this perspective: water can serve as the entry point for integrated, coherent decision-making.

Panel

Opening remarks

  • Alice Aureli, IWRA

Speakers

  • Cecilia Tortajada, University of Glasgow
  • Winston Yu, World Bank
  • Olcay Ünver, Arizona State University
  • John Matthews, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA)
  • Rachael McDonnell, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
  • Sarantuyaa Zandaryaa, UNESCO

Moderation, Concept Framing & Closing remarks

  • Hassan Aboelnga, IWRA Water Security Task Force

About the webinar

As the resource that connects climate, land, biodiversity, and development systems, water is uniquely positioned to support more integrated approaches to governance, investment, and implementation.

This webinar brings together global experts and leaders to examine how this can be translated into practice. Discussions will explore the institutional, financial, and governance barriers that prevent system integration, while highlighting practical approaches to strengthen cross-sectoral collaboration through effective water management.

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IWRA Webinars constitute an additional resource designed to help our members, academics, dedicated practitioners, and policy professionals further explore these and other timely themes engaging in fruitful discussions, also aligned with the international water agenda and in close collaboration with key partners.