WCCE - World Council of Civil Engineers

Water in the green economy in practice: towards Rio+20

The focus of this conference was water and the green economy. The green economy will be one of the two key themes for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development ‘Rio+20’. A green economy is one that promotes human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risk and ecological scarcities. For water, this means managing water in a way that catalyses social and economic development, whilst also safeguarding freshwater ecosystems. The conference was held at the headquarters of the Ebro River Basin Authority in Zaragoza and has been organised by the UN Office to Support the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life' 2005-2015.

The conference brought together experts, UN professionals, stakeholders and journalists from five continents to discuss and share experiences of best practice in water management, and water and sanitation services provision. The cases presented innovative policies, projects and initiatives that generate the economic, social and environmental benefits that the green economy should deliver. Moving from theory to practice, the conference has illustrated how water can be a building block in the transition to a green economy, and will provide input to the preparations for Rio+20.

The structure of the three day conference was based around ‘tools’ which could be used to generate change and support the transition to a green economy.

International Conference "Water in the green economy in practice: towards Rio+20

Water for life- Voices project

The ’Water for Life’ Decade ends in 2015. The Decade has seen the recognition of the human right to water and sanitation and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal target of halving the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water well in advance of the 2015 deadline.

To celebrate the end of the Decade, the United Nations Headquarters in New York will welcome these global voices. Taking place on World Water Day, 22 March 2015, an exhibition is planned to reflect on the successes of the ’Water for Life’ Decade, especially in relation to the Millennium Development Goals, while also looking to the post-2015 development agenda. Your voices will speak directly to UN delegates and guests. We’d like as many voices as possible to reach the delegates who will attend World Water Day in New York! We would be grateful if you could also help us publicise this campaign and bring together the voices of all those who do not have access to the web.

>> More information about the Water for Life Voices campaign
>> Submit your Voice!

Water Cooperation Presentation

On the 19th, The World Council of Civil Engineers presents in UN headquarters in New York the first of three monographs which publishes in collaboration with UN-Water and AQUAE Foundation. Follow the presentation live on our website. Time: 1:15 p.m. (NY) 7:15 p.m. (Spain).

Water & Energy Management and Innovation in Latin America

2015 Annual Conference of UN-Water in Zaragoza. Water and Sustainable Development: From Vision to Action. 15-17 January 2015- Side event.

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Date: January 14, 2015

Time: 12: 30-17: 00

Location: Ebro River Basin premises, Paseo de Sagasta 24, Zaragoza

Coordinated by World Council of Civil Engineers, Aquae Foundation, CODIA

The interrelationships between water and energy in Latin America are diverse, complex and intense. Current trends suggest that this interdependence is subject to greater stress in the future, due to population growth and urbanization; economic growth; competition for water in watersheds with concentrated economic development; and trends toward increasing the intensity of water in energy production and energy intensity in the provision of water for different uses - all this in the context of climate change.