The GPPN contributed to and hosted two radio programmes on water issues during the 18th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in 2009, as part of Stakeholder Forum's 'Live from the CSD' project.
Breakfast Round Tables
Monday 17th August: Talking Rights
In our first breakfast roundtable we're tackling the issue of human rights and water. How does a rights-based approach translate on the ground? How much water is required to fulfil that right? And whose responsibility is it to provide that right? In today's breakfast roundtable Dave Trouba is joined in the studio by social anthropologist Nandita Singh; human rights lawyer Thorsten Kiefer; and Jason Morisson from the Pacific Institute. Listen in and get involved!
(L-R) Jason Morisson, Thorsten Kiefer, Nandita Singh
Tuesday 18th August: The Road to Copenhagen and Beyond
Lets take two scenarios. On the 18th of December, the world walks away with a new global deal on climate change. The agreement includes progressive emission targets for rich countries, nationally appropriate mitigation strategies for developing countries and financing for adaptation. Alternatively, on the 18th December the negotiations finally break down, no deal is struck and world leaders walk away with nothing. What are the implications of these scenarios on the water sector? We were joined in the studio by Petra Kjell (Progressio), John Matthews (WWF) and Hannah Stoddart to find out more. Listen in here.
(L-R) Petra Kjell, Hannah Stoddart
Wednesday 19th August: Conflicts and Borders
Are we really are heading for an era of "hydrological warfare" in which rivers and lakes become national security assets to be fought over, or controlled through armed forces? Or can water act as a force for peace and cooperation? Hannah Stoddart is joined in the studio by Dr Patricia Wouters, Director of the International Water Law Research Institute at Dundee University; Flavia Loures from International Water Law and Policy at WWF; and Munqeth Mehyar from Friends of the Earth in the Middle East. Listen in here.
(L-R) Flavia Loures, Munqeth Mehyar, Patricia Wouters
Thursday 20th August: Water Footprints
The western world has an insatiable thirst for water. The concept of 'water footprints' has shown that Americans consume over 6800 litres of virtual water every day, over triple that of a Chinese person. But what is a water footprint? And how does a water footprint translate into policy-making? And is there any evidence that it is changing the way that businesses value water? We catch up with Dan Bena (PepsiCo); Chris Williams (WWF) and Guy Howard (DFID). Click here to find out more.
Thursday 20th August: Clean Waters? Corruption and the Water Sector
Corruption and the water sector are age old friends – they go back a long time. We're all too familiar with stories of water officials exchanging votes for lucrative engineering contracts or international donor money earmarked for water pipes being spent on limousines. We are joined in the studio by Teun Batermeijer (WIN), Ramisetty Murali (FAN), and Thomas van Waeyenberge (Aquafed) to find out why the water sector is so prone to corruption, and whether we're winning the battle against it. Check it out here.
