2016/02/22     Lima, Peru

Place: Lima, Peru | Date: 24–25 February 2016

Organisers: UNU-FLORES

Supporters: Promoción del Desarrollo Sostenible, United Nations Environment Programme, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

Partners: World Health Organization; United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health; United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization; International Water Management Institute

Good Practice Examples and Future Research Needs

Safe Use of Water and Agriculture (SUWA) Workshop

Population growth, rapid urbanization, more water intense consumption patterns and climate change are intensifying pressure on freshwater resources. The increasing scarcity of water, combined with other factors such as energy and fertilizers, is driving millions of farmers and other entrepreneurs to make use of wastewater. In order to address the technical, institutional and policy challenges of safe water reuse, developing countries and countries in transition need clear institutional arrangements and more skilled human resources, with a sound understanding of the opportunities and potential risks of wastewater use. In 2011 seven UN-Water Members, Partners and Programmes led by UNW-DPC joined efforts to address these capacity needs of countries with regards to SUWA. Between 2011 and 2013, these capacity development activities brought together 160 representatives from 73 UN Member States from Asia, Africa and Latin America. One of these previous activities was a capacity development workshop conducted in Lima, Peru in December 2012.

Further support in these fields was requested by participants in these previous activities. The second phase of SUWA was recently initiated as a response to these requests. United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and Resources (UNU-FLORES) coordinates the activities in the second phase of SUWA with its partners from FAO, WHO, UNEP, UNU-INWEH and IWMI. The second phase of SUWA aims at supporting UN Member States developing their national capacities in focus areas identified and prioritized in the first phase of the project, promoting safer and more productive use of wastewater. Developing countries and countries in transition will remain the focus of the second phase. The workshop in Lima, Peru in February 2016 is the first of many events that have been proposed/planned for the second phase of SUWA.

Objectives and Expected Outcomes

Sharing information between countries/regions on “good practice examples of safe water reuse in agriculture” is one of the important suggestions made by the participants in the previous activities during its first phase. This is the first objective we plan on meeting at the workshop. During the workshop the attendees will have the opportunity to learn about 18 case studies from Latin America, Asia and Africa. Details of the case studies will be enclosed in UNU-FLORES publications after the workshop, which will be made available for mass-dissemination among the stakeholders. The second objective of the workshop is to identify the knowledge gaps in the SUWA-related activities where there is need for further research. The presenters of the case studies, together with other experts, researchers and ministerial representative will engage in two brainstorming moderated discussions to meet this objective. This will enable the stakeholders to set the much needed research agenda for the future SUWA activities.

For more information please find the workshop booklet here.