The SDGnexus Network, the Centers for Natural Resources and Development (CNRD), the International Network on Sustainable Water Management in Developing Countries (SWINDON), the Food Security Center (FSC) and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) are pleased to invite the community of renowned water and climate change experts to propose abstracts for the Water Security and Climate Change Conference (WSCC), 21 - 23 November 2023 in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Achieving water security under climate change conditions is one of the major challenges faced by society today – both globally and locally. By building bridges between disciplines, sectors and different stakeholders, the conference provides a platform for international exchange. Consequently, interdisciplinary links are revealed and synergies between scientific evidence and societal and political decisions are released. The conference thus contributes to the formulation of sustainable strategies for water resource management in the face of climate change.

The WSCC 2023 is supported by the Exceed program (Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation) and follows a successful series of conferences implemented in Thailand, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, Vietnam, and Thailand between 2016 and 2022.

Topics

Climate change and climate variability pose many challenges worldwide, as well as affecting the environment in which we live. Strategies to cope with climate change, risk assessment and the willingness of states and societies to bear the risks and consequences are heterogeneous and divergent. However, these solutions and strategies are often not adapted to the respective political economic and social requirements and are more reactive than preventative. Ideally, all decisions and interventions should be based on an integrated, well-considered and rational way of acting, with the aim of sustainable protection of nature and its resources.

The WSCC strives to offer a platform for international exchange, to uncover interdisciplinary linkages and to release synergies between scientific evidence and both societal and political decision strategies.

The conference themes focus on the following broad subject areas: (a) from scientific knowledge and knowledge transformation to solution-oriented implementation, (b) inclusive and participatory approaches for adaptation, (c) cross-sectoral implementation of SDG 6, and (d) AI and the design of future water supply and resilience infrastructure in urban areas and agriculture. We seek to contribute to a significant social change. In this regard, abstracts that focus on one of the following three main themes are welcome:

• Water and Climate: Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovative Solutions: This theme will address SDG6 and SDG13 synergistically for building resilience in the present climate and adapting to future climate with focus on five broad subject areas: (a) Understanding water and climate risks and linkages, (b) Risk-informed decision and action planning, (c) Sustainable, affordable, and scalable water solutions for climate-resilient development, (d) Inclusive, participatory and without-border approaches for adaptation and (e) Innovative water management to achieve water and climate goals.

• Water & Climate Resilience in Agri-Food Systems: Agri-food systems encompass agricultural production systems from cultivation, harvesting, transport, storage, and processing to the marketing of agricultural products and their consumption or use. This includes value chains of food or non-food agricultural products originating from crop, livestock, forestry, fisheries, or aquaculture. Agri-food systems are diverse and include, for instance single-crop, large scale systems (such as banana plantations) to multi-crop small scale systems (such as indigenous mountain irrigation systems). They are exposed to various crises and shocks that threaten food security and nutrition as well as the environment and natural resources. Among the most impacting threats are certainly effects of climate change in combination with water scarcity and the trend to increasing extreme events. In view of these various challenges, several innovations, concepts, and approaches have been discussed to improve and accelerate a sustainable transformation of agri-food systems thereby directly addressing SDG 1, 2, 6, 12, 13, and 15.

• Water Security: Science-Policy-Society Dialogue (Priorities & Implementation): In the 2030 Agenda, water is a crucial link for achieving various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Failure to adapt to climate change will jeopardize the achievement of SGD 6, as well as most of the other SDGs. Given its part in climate change, water plays a central role in the SDG network as well as in other policy frameworks such as the Paris Agreement. The water issue is an integrative part of a chain of responsibility that links science, politics, and society.
• This core theme focuses on the following broad subject areas: (a) from scientific knowledge and knowledge transformation to solution-oriented implementation, (b) inclusive and participatory approaches for adaptation, (c) cross-sectoral implementation of SDG 6, and (d) AI and the design of future water supply and resilience infrastructure in urban areas and agriculture.

Submision Instruction: 

• All abstracts must be submitted online between 01 June and 31 July 2023
• Abstracts can be submitted as ‘Oral or Poster Presentation’ or ‘Poster Presentation only’
• All abstracts must be submitted through the submission portal in text form.
• The following information must be included in the submitted abstract: presentation title, all author(s)’ identifying information. (including names, degrees, and institutional affiliations), WSCC topics (see list of topics in the submission portal), three to five keywords and narrative text (limited to 1800 characters).
• The conference organization committee may propose an alternative presentation format (open space sessions), based on the available times in the conference program.

Funding

Limited funding is available to support selected presenters in particular from DAC listed countries.

For selected presenters the WSCC2023 will cover, depending on the necessity:

•  International travel (round-trip ticket) from the nearest international airport in the country of departure to Ecuador
• Airport transfer to/from the hotel in Cuenca • The registration fee for the conference (see below)
• Four nights of accommodation (check-in 20th of November, check-out 24th of November) in a hotel selected by the conference organizing team including breakfast.
• The conference organizers will contact potential presenters eligible for funding after the submission deadline to determine the further proceeding. Please note that the WSCC2023 will NOT cover the following.

These are to be borne by the participant:

• Local transport from current place of residence to the nearest international airport in your country
• Airport taxes, if any
• Visa fee, if any
• Travel health insurance fees
• Daily allowance or boarding that exceeds the meals that are offered during the conference (coffeebreaks and lunches)

Spouses/Partners are not supported, but they can attend the conference as participants when paying the conference fee (100 dollars). Travel arrangements for spouses/partners need to be arranged by the participant and will not be organized by the conference organizers.

For more Information please contact: [email protected]

Important Documents: 

Call for abstracts (PDF, 1.02 MB)