Water is the lifeblood of our economies — essential for growing food, producing energy, and manufacturing goods. Yet, we often overlook its true value, exploiting water sources beyond sustainable limits and polluting them in the process.
In the last few years, we have seen the effects of drought on higher prices for grains, olive oil and chocolate as well as transportation routes through the Panama Canal and Rhine River. This is only an indication of what is to come. Rising demand for fresh water under a warming and increasingly volatile climate will amplify the risks for critical supply chains.
By recognizing the role of trade in water security, we can turn it into a force for sustainability. When trading partnerships value water as a shared resource, they can drive better water governance, expand access to clean water, and restore nature.
This two-day international conference brings together policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society organizations to address these challenges.
- How can global trade support local water security in an age of geopolitical and climate risk?
- What can importer and exporter countries do to coordinate strategies to implement fair water footprints across water intensive supply chains?
- How do investors integrate water risks into decision-making, and how can this build more resilient supply chains?
- What actions, reforms and policy interventions can accelerate progress towards fair water footprints?
This conference is a part of the Fair Water Footprints initative, made possible with the generous funding from the FCDO’s Just Transition for Water Security Programme (JTWS).
