Waterspirit’s Executive Director will be speaking on this high-level panel during the United Nations High Level Political Forum. It will be broadcast on UN WebTV. Stakeholders with access to UNHQ during HLPF may join in-person in Conference Room 11.
Background
The UN-Water Chair and the Under-Secretary-General of UN DESA will co-host the fifth annual SDG 6 Water Action Agenda Special Event during the High-level Political Forum, taking stock of country-level implementation of SDG 6, emerging technologies as well as the intergovernmental process on water.
Progress on water-related goals and targets at the country level has demonstrated synergistic effects on SDG implementation, and peer-to-peer learning has emerged as an innovative and effective way to strengthen cooperation. In this spirit, UN-Water will launch its fourth iteration of the SDG 6 Country Acceleration Case Studies, showcasing practical examples of successful policies from Bhutan, Rwanda and Saudi Arabia. High-level representatives will share best practices and discuss the role of the UN system at the country level together with the UN Development Coordination Office, which oversees the Resident Coordinator System.
This will be followed by a conversation between the UN-Water Chair and President of the 2025 session of the Economic and Social Council on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it has the potential to transform the pathway to 2030. The fireside chat will touch upon both the misuse and missed uses of AI for water and sustainable development, focusing on the opportunities for cross-cutting issues such as climate, biodiversity and sustainable food systems.
At the mid-point between the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference and the previous UN 2023 Water Conference – which saw over 800 commitments from governments, civil society, and the private sector under the Water Action Agenda – this Special Event will feature a discussion on how the inclusive and collaborative preparatory process driven by Senegal and the United Arab Emirates is building continuity and catalyzing global action for SDG 6. Water Action Agenda commitment holders will discuss implementation and what enabling environments are needed for innovative solutions.
AGENDA
Master of Ceremonies: Ms. Toni-Shae Freckleton, Chief, New York Liaison Office, UNDRR
15:00 – 15:15 Opening
· Mr. Alvaro Lario, UN-Water Chair and President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development
· H.E. Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
15:15 – 16:15 High-level Launch of the SDG 6 Country Acceleration Case Studies
Moderator: Ms. Toni-Shae Freckleton, Chief, New York Liaison Office, UNDRR
Presentation of the SDG 6 Country Acceleration Case Studies: Ms. Mary Matthews, UNDP Water Lead a.i. and UN-Water Senior Programme Manager
· H.E. Mr. Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of The Kingdom of Bhutan
· H.E. Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Shaibani, Deputy Minister for Water of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
· Ms. Gemma Maniraruta, Director General of Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Infrastructure of the Republic of Rwanda
· Ms. Ligia Noronha, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme
· Mr. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Development Coordination (TBC)
16:15 – 16:50 Fireside chat: Water and Artificial Intelligence
Moderator: Ms. Aarathi Krishnan, founder of AI firm RAKSHA
· H.E. Mr. Bob Rae, President of the 2025 session of the Economic and Social Council
· Mr. Alvaro Lario, UN-Water Chair and President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development
16:50 – 17:50 Sustaining Momentum: Building toward the 2026 UN Water Conference
Panelists are Water Action Agenda commitment holders.
Moderator: Ms. Laura Paterson, Coordinator to the United Nations, WMO
· H.E. Mr. Coly Seck, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations (TBC)
· H.E. Mr. Jonibek Ismoil Hikmat, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations
· H.E. Mr. Mohamed Issa Abushahab, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations (TBC)
· Ms. Anna Pot, National Coordinator for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kingdom of the Netherlands
· Panelist: Ms. Martina Müller, Programme Officer for Partnerships, UNDRR
· Panelist: Ms. Blair Nelsen, Executive Director of Waterspirit, Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace
17:50 – 18:00 Closing
· H.E. Ms. Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Republic of Germany