This year’s OECD Water Days focused around OECD’s participation at the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, from 21-26 March, under the theme of "Water Security for Peace and Development". The OECD actively participated through a series of side-events, the launch of new reports and initiatives, and by taking part in a number of workshops and seminars throughout the Forum.

Main events

Monday, 21 March

• Thematic Session: A Platform for Dialogue on Financing Water, Action Group Finance, 14:00 – 15:30 (GMT)
  Co-convened with the World Bank, UNCDF, US Department of Agriculture and Solidarités Int. 
  This session aimed at mapping a refined picture of the value chain of water in a particular landscape. It strived to give a voice to a diverse range of stakeholders across the water value chain, highlighting their perspectives and challenges, as well as identifying the silent and often unheard voices. Perspectives to feature on the map included final water users, particularly local and rural communities; small-scale water service providers; the managing local authorities (e.g. cities); authorities in charge of the management of river basins; and financiers.
  
  

• Keystone Roundtable “MEANS and TOOLS”, 15:45 – 17:15 (GMT)
  This high-level Roundtable brought together Ministers, Mayors, Parliamentarians, River Basin Organisations, international organisations, representatives of the private sector and NGO to discuss key political messages related to the “means and tools” needed to implement identified policies and solutions for effective, efficient and inclusive water policies in a shared responsibility across levels of government, public, private and non-profit sectors. The session explored ways to operationalise actions related to sustainable finance, good governance and sound science as means to support the design and implementation of better water policies for better lives, and the mobilisation of technical and infrastructural solutions at the least cost for society. High-level representatives from national and local governments, financial institutions, international organisations, private sector and civil society attended the session.

Tuesday, 22 March

• High-Level Panel: Financing a Water Secure Future: Ways forward, 09:00 – 10:30 (GMT)
  Co-convened with the World Bank, the Government of the Netherlands and the World Water Council.
  This High-Level Panel focused on financing water contributed to the preparation of the UN 2023 Water Conference and reflected on a Water Review to rethink Water Economics and beyond, co-chaired by four leading economic thinkers. The session highlighted key guiding questions that contribute to advancing the global discussion on water economics and financing. The co-chairs of the Review and the panellists shared their views on why prevailing water economics need to be challenged and which boundaries should be pushed.
  
  The panel drew on a broad foundation of experience with the Roundtable on Financing Water as well as recent analytical work on financing water from the OECD, the World Bank and the World Water Council. This work included the recently released OECD report Financing a water secure future, which covered the role of intermediaries to mobilise finance, blended finance for water in specific country contexts, investors’ guidelines for nature-based solutions, and the implications of the pandemic on financing water.   
  
  

• Water Governance as a means to an end: measuring the impacts of Water Governance, 09:00 – 10:30 (GMT)
  This session discussed existing tools, methodologies and guidelines to measure the economic, social and environmental impacts of water governance to provide evidence on tangible results to governments, citizens, businesses and services. During the session, the OECD launched the “How-To Guide” proposing a methodology to assess water governance based on the OECD Principles on Water Governance and the Special Issue of Water International Journal on Measuring the impacts of water governance, in collaboration with IWRA.

Wednesday, 23 March  

• Cities, Local and Regional Governments Day, 09:00 – 14:30 (GMT)
  Organised jointly with UCLG Africa
  This full day event explored the role of cities, local and regional governments for water security as one of the four key policy segments of the Forum, and led to the adoption of the "Action Plan of Mayors and Local Governments for Water Security", as a driver for peace, economic growth, social inclusion and sustainable development, whose implementation will be assessed by the end of 2025. Along many partners, the OECD and UCLG-Africa launched the Roundtable of African Mayors for Water Security.
  
  

Thursday, 24 March

• Towards water security in Africa: the Roundtable of African Mayors for Water Security, 10:45 – 12:15 (GMT)
  This session aimed at raising the profile of Mayors and City leaders in enhancing water security in Africa. Participants discussed challenges and opportunities towards water security in Africa.  The objectives of the session were to: i) Raise Africa’s voice and profile in local, national, and global agendas, notably the New Urban Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement; ii) Provide a platform for Mayors to share knowledge, experience and best practices to design better local water policies for better lives, in cooperation with other levels of government and key water-related stakeholders; iii)Understand the key challenges facing local leaders hampering their ability to collect, compile and analyse scientific data and knowledge on water security in African cities, in relation to their distance to SDGs 6 and 11; iv) Trigger action across levels of government, notably by raising the profile of Mayors and local leadership.
  
  

• Cross Cutting Issues across thematic areas, 09:00 – 10:30 (GMT)
  Co-organised with the University Cheikh Anta Diop, AUB and OMVG
  Under the overarching theme No on left behind, this session brought together the 4 Pilot Groups co-chairs to exchange on the content of key Political Messages and Actions adopted by their respective groups during the preparation phase of the Forum.

Other OECD speaking events

Tuesday, 22 March 

• Special Session -  The Hassan II Global Water Prize, 10h00 – 11h30 (GMT)
  Organiser: Ministry of Water and Equipment, Morocco / OECD role: moderator
  This session highlighted the work undertaken by the winner of the 7th edition of the Hassan II global water prize rewarded for his commitment on the theme: Water security for sustainable development and food security.
  
  
• Session 4A9 – Policy, Institutional and Regulatory (PIR) Enablers: the key ingredient for achieving SDG6, 10:45 – 12:15  (GMT)
  Organiser: World Bank / OECD role: moderator  
  By focusing on an integrated approach, PIR can help address systemic challenges to sustainability – such as climate change and short-term crises and shocks. This session zoomed in on how PIR can be an enabler of financial and technical solutions and enhance their impact for better services.
  
  
• Session 2F3 - Towards action: maximize the inclusion of youth, migrants and women into rural development and mitigate the water related root-causes of migration, 10:45 – 12:15 (GMT)
  Organiser: Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – AICS / OECD role: panel contributor
  This session focused on the inclusion of youth, migrants and women into agriculture and rural development activities to address some challenges related to climate change and migration.
  
  
• HLP 13 – Making the invisible visible: groundwater a response for resilience and sustainability, 09:00 – 10:30 (GMT)
  Organiser: UNESCO / OECD role: panel contributor
  The theme of the World Water Day 2022 campaign led by UN-Water is “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible”. This session explored how to enhance evidence on the sustainability of groundwater sources and enhance good governance.
  
  

• Session 3A1– Building a cross-sectoral governance without boundaries at all levels, 13:30– 15:00  (GMT)
  Organiser: OiEau / OECD role: panel contributor
  This session aimed at sharing lessons on decision processes, implementation, good practices, and innovative methodologies of IWRM aiming to build cross sectoral governance without boundaries at all levels.
  
  

• Water Governance - coordination and effective involvement of all partners is necessary, 13:30 – 15:00 (GMT)
  Organiser: Ministry of Water and Equipment, Morocco / OECD role: panel contributor
  This session focused on water governance and discuss the integrated, decentralised and participatory management of the 10 water basin agencies in Morocco.
  
  

• Keystone Roundtable on Water Security and Sanitation, 15:15– 16:45 (GMT)
  Organiser: Chair of Pilot Group 3 (OMVG) / OECD: panel contributor
  The Roundtable brought together leaders in water and sanitation to identify critical factors that lead to water and sanitation security. It also strengthened the case for rethinking water and sanitation challenges through a circular economy lens thereby delivering services in a more sustainable, inclusive, efficient, and resilient way.
  
  

Wednesday, 23 March  

• Session 3F2. Localising Multi-stakeholders partnership for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive water resources management in Africa and Asia, 13:30 – 15:00 (GMT)
  Organiser: Japan Water Forum / OECD pre-recorded video
  This session discussed how to mainstream water resilience into political and development agendas to reach the objectives of water-related SDGs in Africa and Asia.
  
  

Thursday, 24 March  

• Session 4B4. The changes we need in the water sector: Giving the voice to vulnerable groups, 09:00 – 10:30 (GMT)
  Organiser: Secrétariat International de l’Eau / OECD role: panel contributor
  This session showcased testimonials from community leaders, women, youth and indigenous communities from different continents on i) how they deal with access to water, ii) how they manage it, iii) how they participate in decision-making processes related to water and iv)how they would change in the water sector of today.
  
  
• The role of the localised information system in water management and planning, 13:30 – 15:00 (GMT)
  Organiser: UCLG Africa / OECD role: panel contributor
  Good governance of water resources requires to easily access and process water-related data in collaboration with local stakeholders. This session explored means, tools and processes to encourage data collection and treatment at the local level.
  
  
• 1B3 - Apply Nature-based solutions including green infrastructure to improve water quality and resources, 13:30 – 15:00 (GMT)
  Organiser: IWRA / OECD role: panel contributor
  This session explored how nature-based solutions can play an important role in improving the supply and quality of water and reducing the impact of natural disasters.
  
  

Friday, 25 March  

• Synthesis of Works, 9:00 – 10:30 (GMT)
  Organiser: WWC and Senegal / OECD role: panel contributor
  This session summarised the outcomes of the multi-stakeholder process.