Annual report long
title for impact
IWMI contributed several game-changing solutions to the United Nations Food Systems Summit and in 2020, started planning for regional and global ‘Dialogues’ on food and water systems that feed into the Summit due to take place in September 2021. Solutions submitted include one that combines solutions to water storage with access and (re)use to overcome challenges of physical and economic water scarcity through a combination of technological, institutional and financial interventions.
IWMI contributed to the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) report on ‘Promoting youth engagement and employment in agriculture and food systems’, including specific inputs on youth aspirations and food systems. Within the report, two studies explored the livelihood aspirations and realities of young people (in Myanmar) and the opportunities and constraints to youth engagement in aquaculture value chains (in Nigeria).
Dr. Aditi Mukherji, Principal Researcher, IWMI, is a Coordinating Lead Author of the Water Chapter of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and a part of the core writing team of the Synthesis Report of AR6. IWMI contributions are key to the growing recognition of water as a critical part of the Climate Change story, translating into substantive recognition in IPCC reports.
IWMI is a Partner of UN-Water. In 2020, our collaboration with the UN saw the launch of ‘Water pollution by plastics and microplastics: A review of technical solutions from source to sea’, comprising a full report and catalogue, jointly developed by United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and IWMI. Additionally, two staff members were appointed as co-chairs of the Technical Advisory Committee of the World Water Quality Alliance of UNEP.
As a member of the Technical Working Group of the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), IWMI provides specialist review on work to define and use targets to reduce the impact of companies and cities on - and help restore - the Earth’s land, oceans, freshwater, and biodiversity. Setting science-based targets will build an enterprise-level focus on water quality and quantity thresholds that will lead to more equitable distribution among all users as well as better inform policy decisions.
As an active member of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action water working group, IWMI delivered a side event on insurance as part of climate risk management at the virtual Race to Zero Dialogue in November. IWMI is also actively involved in delivering on the water and agriculture action tracks of the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA), and is in planning discussions leading up to COP 26. Under the ongoing Two Degree Initiative, we are working to address climate change risks and shocks in the water, food and agricultural systems in many of the world’s identified hot spots.