This year’s event was centered around the theme of “Water, ecosystems and human development”, and brought together about 4,000 individuals and over 350 convening organizations. The World Bank Water Global Practice delegation led and participated in over 50 sessions focusing on priority lines: Sanitation, Resilience, Inclusion, Partnership (2030 WRG), Finance/MFD and Innovation. In addition, bilateral meetings were held with several organizations and partners. Our participation continued to position the 2030 WRG, World Bank Group and the Water Global Practice as a lead provider of financial, advisory and knowledge services globally to the water community.

Stockholm Water Week provided a great opportunity to disseminate the WBG’s technical and knowledge work, deepen our external partnerships with governments, private sector and civil societies, and strengthen our Multi-donor Trust Funds. In addition, we continued to advance the action agenda of the High Level Panel on Water and engage further with UN agencies.

Highlights from the week:

• A 2030 WRG Steering Board Meeting was held, co-chaired by Jennifer Sara, WB Water GP Director, the agenda included discussion on: the positive transition from IFC to World Bank for the MDTF; the 2030 WRG work program for FY19; the development of a communications strategy and materials; deep dives into 2030 WRG activities in Africa, LAC and Asia (South and East); updates on staffing and budgeting; process of expansion to other countries/states; and new areas of strategic engagement in the resiliency agenda of UNSG 2019 climate summit. The Steering Board endorsed the 2030 WRG workplan and key leadership areas for FY19.
• The team conducted s session on “2030 WRG: Multi-Stakeholder Approaches to Innovation and Impact” with approximately 100 participants. The session included presentations by 2030 WRG partners on industrial water use efficiency (Kenya), innovative sustainable PPP for wastewater treatment and reuse (Bangladesh), and innovative groundwater management and monitoring tariff system (Peru). The participants divided into 3 groups to discuss: (1) enabling factors necessary or conducive to implementing sustainable multi-stakeholder approaches; potential barriers or challenges that exist to implementing this type of multi-stakeholder approach; and strategies that can be used to overcome each of these. These inputs will be used in 2030 WRG global/regional/national work programs and expansion discussions going forward. 2030 WRG’s work on the gender-water-agri nexus was also presented.
• Co-hosted with SIWI a “Business Leaders Breakfast: Valuing Water: What is your value proposition and how do you operationalize it?” Approximately 38 business leaders attended and discussed risk mitigation options and the business case for water valuation, including: how is valuing water connected to your company’s value proposition; how do operationalize valuing water in your company; and how do you operationalize valuing water within your industry/sector and with other companies.
• Co-convened with CEO Water Mandate, the Alliance for Water Stewardship, World Business Council on Sustainable Development, WWF and GIZ a session on “Water Stewardship: Partnership and Financing Models for Scale.” Several partnership activities were shared in plenary and then participants broke into roundtables to discuss stewardship initiatives in Asia, Africa, LAC and globally.
• The 2030 WRG team was also visible at various other sessions as presenter at the “Evolution of Water Stewardship” session on the evolution of the Alliance for Water Stewardship, session moderator for a session on “Innovative Financing for Ecosystem Management,” aimed at accelerating new funding models for ecosystem services. Also several bilateral private sector and NGO partner meetings were held to discuss potential and ongoing collaboration in various countries of engagement.
• 2030 WRG also supported a Water GP-wide reception. Collaboration with our new host department also included coordinating and sharing a joint booth at the SIWI expo, that was very visible and well-visited by sector colleagues, academics, young professionals, and representatives from government, private sector, and NGOs.

See below some snaps from the week