Pathways to careers in environmental sustainability, crafting policy from local communities to global United Nations networks
Experts from UNITAR and York University discussed environmental sustainability careers, focusing on policy-making from local to global levels. The event highlighted essential skills, training, and career evolution, offering insights into advancing environmental goals.
Pathways to Resilience: Advancing Solutions for Global Freshwater Quality
The UNITAR Global Water Academy, with York University, hosted a High-Level Political Forum side event on “Pathways to Resilience: Advancing Solutions for Global Freshwater Quality.” The event focused on water education, capacity building, innovative solutions, and international collaboration for sustainable development goals.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Virtual Side Event
SIDS (Small Island Developing States) economies are vulnerable due to small sizes, remoteness, freshwater scarcity and high susceptibility to extreme climatic events and global economic markets. In this 90-minute virtual side event, a panel of guest speakers dived into building resilience in SIDS through Blue Economy Innovation.
Full Panel Video Available here
Enhancing Transboundary Water Management and SDGs: A Collaborative Approach
At the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Dr. Thanapon Piman highlighted the need for improved data sharing among Mekong countries to enhance transboundary water management. He emphasized the importance of timely, accessible data for communities and strong political commitment to achieve sustainable development and address regional water security challenges.
Plastic Pollution
Plastic pollution is an important issue affecting all regions including those far from industrialization. Within the last 40 years, global plastic production has increased by 620% with about 5-13 million tonnes of plastic infiltrating the ocean. In this 90-minute panel discussion, the guest speakers aim to bridge disparate disciplines to counteract plastic pollution.
Adapting utility design guidelines for climate change resilience in water supply and treatment
This hybrid event hosted by The Water Resources Society of York University and the UNITAR Global Water Academy is broadly focused on issues of wastewater treatment in the face of global climate change and the Atlantic Canadian provinces as a case study. Guest speakers will tackle the challenge of “Adapting utility design guidelines for climate change resilience in water supply and treatment.”
UNITAR Launches the UNITAR Global Water Academy on World Water Day
On World Water Day, UNITAR launched the Global Water Academy (UGWA) to promote capacity building in water governance, especially in conflict and humanitarian settings. The event, themed “Water for Peace,” emphasized the role of water in fostering global stability and prosperity. Key speakers included leaders from York University, UNITAR, and UN-Water.
World Water Day Artistic Exhibition: Resonance
The Aga Khan Museum hosted “World Water Day: Artistic Interventions” from March 9 to March 24, 2024, featuring multisensory installations by Dolleen Tisawii’ashii Manning and Mary Bunch. The event included immersive experiences and performances exploring Anishinaabe understandings of water, supported by Native Women in the Arts and various sponsors.
World Water Day: Exploring Indigenous and Muslim Water Stories Through the Arts
The Aga Khan Museum, UNITAR Global Water Academy, and York University hosted a World Water Day event. It included an Indigenous Water Ceremony and a panel on Indigenous and Muslim water stories through storytelling and the arts, focusing on water conservation and Sustainable Development Goal 6.
High-Level Committees on Programs
First, of three hybrid events to celebrate World Water Day, the panel of guest speakers aims to dive into SDG 6.1, highlighting the key challenges water insecurity poses to communities around the world and exploring why some regions experience an increase or decrease in freshwater availability.
UN SDG Summit
Over two billion people do not have access to freshwater worldwide, causing marginalized communities to be greatly affected. Hence, the future of water security lies in collaborations, inclusiveness and interdisciplinary networks. In this panel, guest speakers dived into harnessing the power of Big Data, Novel Technologies, and International Collaboration.
High-Level Political Forum
In this 90-minute virtual event hosted by York University in partnership with Dahdaleh Insitute for Global Research, UNITAR, and the United Nations Development Program, a panel of guest speakers will cover topics on the humanitarian response to the emerging water crises due to extreme climatic events and socio-economic issues.
Water is Life Panel
In this panel, guest speakers will share their experiences from the 2023 UN-Water Conference in New York. Focusing on water security, climate change and resilience, the guest speakers aim to share their insights on these ongoing issues. Specifically, highlighting the water insecurity and equity issues Indigenous communities face.
Engineering Solutions to Water Insecurity
The “Engineering Solutions to Water Insecurity” event at Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, featured experts discussing water challenges. Topics included climate change impacts, sustainable chemistry, solar water treatment, light-based technologies, and water mixing dynamics. The event emphasized innovative solutions and the need for international cooperation.
Promoting a Water Culture Through Learning and Action
The UN 2023 Water Conference, held in New York from March 22-24, reviewed water sustainability goals. UNITAR hosted events promoting water management education and action. A key outcome was the creation of the “Water Academy,” focused on knowledge transfer, capacity building, and scalable water solutions, especially for marginalized communities.