“Bonn 2011 Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus –Solutions for a Green Economy” conference - Workshop : Decentralized water management systems: Sustainable Water Industry in France and Germany: Towards a “Paradigm Change”

The German Federal Government is organizing the international “Bonn2011 Conference: The Water Energy and Food Security Nexus – Solutions for the Green Economy” to be held from 16 to 18 November. The conference has been announced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel as a specific German contribution to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development “Rio2012”.

Global Trends such as population growth and rising economic prosperity are expected to increase demand for energy, food and water which will compromise the sustainable use of natural resources. Besides positive effects, this pressure on resources could finally result in shortages which may put water, energy and food security for the people at risk, hamper economic development, lead to social and geopolitical tensions and cause lasting irreparable environmental damage.

The German Government has recognized a clear need for new approaches which address the interconnections within the water, energy and food security nexus. In order to develop these integrated solutions, the German Government initiated a yearlong participatory process including an international multi-stakeholder-dialogue to prepare the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference.

By hosting the conference, organized under the auspices of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the German Government pursues three objectives:

• To develop policy recommendations based on multi-stakeholder consultations and taking a nexus perspective,
• to position the water, energy and food security nexus perspective as an important dimension within the ‘Rio2012’ process as well as the Green Economy and Green Growth concepts, and
• to launch concrete initiatives to address the water, energy, food security nexus in a coherent and sustainable way.

The Bonn2011 Nexus Conference will focus on the three action fields of sustainable development:

• The social dimension: Accelerating Access, integrating the bottom of the pyramid
• The economic dimension: Creating more with less
• The ecologic dimension: Investing to sustain ecosystem services

The conference will put a nexus lens on the three action fields while focusing on better understanding the interlinkages between the three securities. Further, the discussions will focus on identifying enabling conditions which facilitate the transition to a greener economy.

The international participants at this three-day conference will include around 500 high-ranking decision-makers and decision-shapers from the spheres of politics, academia, the United Nations, civil society and the private sector. The overall concept is designed to produce concrete outcomes in plenary sessions, workshops and cross-sectoral dialogue formats. The aim is to arrive at decisions that will make a real difference in terms of sustainable impacts.

“Understanding the Nexus”, the background paper for the International Conference “The Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus – Solutions for the Green Economy” from 16 to 18 November 2011 in Bonn, Germany, is now available at: www.water-energy-food.org/understanding_the_nexus

”There is a growing recognition that other sectors need to get involved in water governance”, explains the paper’s main author Holger Hoff, of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). ”Our paper addresses these interactions, and also presents initial evidence for how a nexus approach can enhance water, energy and food security and help to build a green economy by reducing trade-offs and building synergies across the three sectors.”

The Bonn2011 Nexus Conference Background paper highlights opportunities to increase efficiency, reduce wastage and alleviate poverty, and how to benefit from productive ecosystems. 
SEI Centre Director Johan Kuylenstierna, co-author of “Understanding the Nexus”, makes clear: “Our world economy needs to rapidly become greener and more sustainable. Water plays a key role in food, biofuel and power production, and a nexus approach can help tackle the global water crisis by increasing water-use efficiency. This paper presents case studies that demonstrate related challenges and opportunities.”

The development of “Understanding the Nexus” has been coordinated and led by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). Other main contributors were the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), as well as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development WBCSD and the WWF. 

The paper underpins the forthcoming draft policy recommendations of the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference, which will be made available for comments shortly before the Conference, here: www.water-energy-food.org/draft_policy_recommendations

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Workshop : Decentralized water management systems: Sustainable Water Industry in France and Germany: Towards a “Paradigm Change”

Qui se tiendra lors de la conférence de Bonn, le 16 novembre à 10h30.

Claire Cayla

Chargée de Mission

Partenariat Français pour l’Eau

51, rue Salvador Allende

92027 Nanterre Cedex

Tel : 01 41 20 17 73 – mob : 06 45 27 98 76

Contact information	Holger Hoff (email: holger.hoff@sei-international.org ; communication@water-energy-food.org)
Event type	Conference
File link	http://www.water-energy-food.org/en/conference.html
File link copy	20111116_Bonnworkshopwater.pdf (PDF, 61 Kb)
Source	http://www.water-energy-food.org/
Subject(s)	ENERGY , FINANCE-ECONOMY , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INDUSTRY , INFRASTRUCTURES , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , WATER DEMAND
Relation	http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/news/2011/09/bonn-2011-global-consultation-bonn-2011-water-energy-and-food-security-nexus
Geographical coverage	Germany,
Address	The World Conference Center Bonn
Organizer	The German Federal Government
Target audience	International
Period	[16/11/2011 - 18/11/2011]
Status	Confirmed
Working language(s)	ENGLISH