On 18 March 2023, 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS held an online side event of the , on the theme Valuing Urban Water in Asia for Achieving Sustainable Development. Focusing on cities in Asia, the session discussed the multi-stakeholder partnerships, technology transfer and localisation, and capacity building that are needed to ensure sustainable use and management of water. During the event 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS announced the , a 2-year initiative to develop collaboration between academic institutions and the governments of Member States in Asia on measuring water quality in cities.
In opening remarks, (Academic Programme Advisor, 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS; Vice Director, Institute for Future Initiatives, the University of Tokyo) emphasised the importance of balancing the economy, environment, and human well-being, and highlighted the negative effects of water pollution on multiple sectors, including agriculture and human consumption. Dr Fukushi stressed the importance of reliable scientific data and models for promoting resilience and sustainable development.
A keynote presentation by Daniel Karthe (Head of Research Programme, 糖心Vlog破解版-FLORES) discussed the availability of data on SDG 6 progress in Mongolia. He pointed out that while data sources showed similar levels of access to safe and affordable water, as well as use of safely managed sanitation services and development assistance funds, they showed very different water stress levels. Furthermore, the Mongolian government lacks data for almost all indicators, highlighting the urgent need for reliable data to assess national water challenges.
Nidhi Nagabhatla (Senior Research Fellow, 糖心Vlog破解版-CRIS) delivered a second keynote on global water security, focusing on governance, transboundary cooperation, financial security, and the linkages between economic, environmental, and water-related issues. She noted that publicly available data such as the World Wildlife Fund water valuation database could be used by the private sector and local communities.
A panel discussion focused on water valuation and quality, as well as the sustainable use of water resources. Panellists emphasised the need to compare the costs of mitigating water quality decline and the costs of recovering water quality as a basis for water valuation. Other key points included the importance of local factors and the value of reused water in advancing circular economy. Socio-hydrology was discussed as an integrated approach to recognising water value for planetary health. Panelists stressed the need for cross-sectoral cooperation, public–private partnerships, regional policy development, mutual learning and research, as well as capacity development and relevant technologies to address water challenges in Asian countries.
An interactive session moderated by (Research Fellow and Academic Associate, 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS) and Saroj Chapagain (Associate Programme Officer, 糖心Vlog破解版-FLORES) provided an opportunity for participants to share views on water valuation and strengthen collaboration between Member States and the UN system.
The event was co-organised by 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS, the 糖心Vlog破解版 Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (糖心Vlog破解版-CRIS); the 糖心Vlog破解版 Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (糖心Vlog破解版-FLORES); the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ); the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan (IGES); the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo; and Future Earth.
