Save the Date - Nexus Conference - Water-Food-Energy-Climate through an Urban Lens

The “Nexus” approach is the one that focuses on overlaps across sectors while respecting sectoral expertise in order to make better plans by understanding interactions.”

(Stockholm Environment Institute, 2017)

The Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel is hosting the Nexus conference addressing Water-Energy-Food and Climate through an Urban lens on the 16-18^th of April 2018. Registration is now open.

This will be the second Nexus Conference that The Water Institute has organized. The first in 2014 made a significant input to the negotiations for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through the Chapel Hill Declaration. ​We also produced a book from the main input to the conference available on Amazon The Water, Food, Energy and Climate Nexus: Challenges and an Agenda for Action

The 2018 Nexus Conference will aim to input to the Ministerial Declaration for the High Level Political Form and early input to the Heads of State review of the SDGs in 2019. It will offer a great place for governments, the UN and stakeholders to discuss the interlinkage agenda – possibly the only one.

There is now an interview with Global Connections TV on the Nexus and the SDGs available here to watch and use.

Confirmed speakers and chairs include: Liz Thompson former Barbados Environment and Health Minister, Elliott Harris UN Assistant Secretary-General UNEP, Jules Kortenhorst, Chief Executive Officer of Rocky Mountain Institute, Albert Butare, former Rwanda Minister of Energy, Pauliina Murphy, AVIVA Head of International Government Engagement, Maruxa Cardama, Special Advisor Cities Alliance, Jeb Brugmann, Director of Solutions Development and Innovation, 100 Resilient Cities, Yunus Arikan head of global policy and advocacy for ICLEI — Local Governments for Sustainability. Angie Fyfe Executive Director of ICLEI USA, Claudia Ringler, Chair FE2W Network, Diego Rodriguez World Bank, Naiara Costa Head Secretariat for Together 2030, Parfait M Eloundou-Enyegue Global Sustainable Development Report Advisory Board member, Amollo Ambole (ICSU and university of Nairobi, Franziska Schreiber Project Manager Adelphi, Jamie Bartram Director of The Water Institute at UNC, Dr Catalina Spataru (confirmed) UCL Energy Systems and Networks, Mark Howell Chair of Energy Systems Analysis at the Royal Institute of Technology, Marianne Haslegrave Director Commonwealth Medical Trust, and Susan Parnell African Centre for Cities

The conference agenda has the following sessions:

• Session 1: How can a Nexus approach contribute to the achievement of multiple SDGs and targets at the same time?
• Session 2: What are the Nexus challenges in the urban dimension 
• Session 3: Cross-cutting issues for the Nexus themes
  • How is health impacted by changing water availability due to climate change?
  • Urban health challenges for water and waste water
  • Urban challenges for migration and basic provisions 
  • Urban challenges of energy-water provision
• Session 4: Nexus Partnerships: Sharing experiences lessons learnt
• Session 5: USA approach to making cities more resilient 
• Session 6: How to make science relevant to Nexus policy making 
• Session 7: Solutions and tools to access renewable energy in an increased water stressed world due to climate change 
• Session 8: The role of integrated water management and the sustainable agriculture and rural development approaches in an urbanized world 
• Session 9: How could the Nexus approach be funded in a fair, equitable and green economy?
• Session 10: Capacity development for the nexus: where do we stand, what are the needs 
• Session 11: What should the Heads of State SDG Meeting in 2019 say to address the Nexus 

Do join us and share your experience and knowledge.  We are looking for examples of different methodological approaches, indicators being used, comparative studies, solutions, toolkits, successful partnerships, gaps to be addressed, and reviews of the implementation of the relevant SDGs that address Nexus issues. Make your contribution to input to the 2018 High Level Political Declaration.

Nexus 2018: Water, Food, Energy, and Climate

April 16-18, 2018
The Friday Center
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Registration is now open.