Participate online
Join the virtual meeting room or read instructions.
Background
Research shows that 80% of Asia’s rivers are polluted and/or otherwise compromised by unsustainable development that imperils the region’s economic prosperity. Meanwhile, climate change is causing an increase in water-related disasters, including floods and droughts. ADB’s Water Learning Week will address the following questions:
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How can we work together to clean up Asia’s polluted rivers?
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What lessons can we learn from ongoing projects to lower disaster risks, build resilience, and increase water security in Asia’s river basins?
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How can we prepare Asia’s river basins for the future through the integrated water resources management (IWRM) process?
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What boundaries do we need to span to guide a new generation of investments across organizations, sectors and disciplines?
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How do we generate and sustain momentum, and how do we leverage the region’s knowledge to connect local users to better solutions?
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What guidelines do we have to translate vision into action?
Target participants
ADB’s Water Learning Week offers an opportunity for Asia’s leading water practitioners, researchers, knowledge and funding partners, and ADB staff to share innovative practices and lessons learned. The participants will discuss guidelines for new investments in IWRM in river basins, focusing on water quality, disaster risk, climate change adaptation, and water security.
Expected outputs
The Water Learning Week will offer structured learning and networking opportunities and four workshops on the following topics.
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Improving water quality and river basin health – the workshop will develop guidelines for practitioners, drawing on recent experience in the People’s Republic of China, India and other countries.
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Improving disaster risk management and building resilience – will draw on recent work in Bangladesh and the lower Mekong basin, among others.
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Exploring guidelines for applying IWRM as an adaptive management process – to prepare river basins for a more water-secure future, with examples of ongoing work on performance benchmarking, IWRM roadmaps, water security studies and leadership development in Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.
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Leveraging knowledge sharing for capacity development.
Subject to interest, a study visit to a water project in Manila will also be organized. Participants can also interact with the Asia-Pacific Water Forum’s Steering Group on Water and Climate Change to discuss guidelines for adaptation and to compile progress in the region for leaders.
