2022 International Conference: Groundwater, key to the sustainable development goals

The 2022 International Conference: Groundwater, key to the Sustainable Development Goals will be held on 18-20 May 2022 in Paris, France, and remotely. Registrations are now open for a participation on-site or online!

The Agenda 2030, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their 169 targets and their 240 well attended indicators, multinational and multilateral roadmaps, constitute a great message of hope for the future of human societies and terrestrial ecosystems, currently facing the impacts of global change. Within this framework, groundwater resources (GWR) have a key role to play, directly in terms of food, hygiene and health, protection and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity … and, indirectly, for the reduction of poverty and inequalities, contribution to education and gender equality, peace.

Main objectives of the conference:

• Examine the overall relationships between water-related SDG s, their stakeholders and groundwater
• Share knowledge, experiences, findings and good practices on GWR in sustainable development trajectories
• Elaborate recommendations to ensure the best integration of groundwater resources into the SDGs

Topics of the conference (non-exhaustive list):

• The point of view of the youth on groundwater and SDGs, with students from Universities, Colleges, High Schools...
• Groundwater contribution to the various SDG targets. Importance, role and assets of groundwater to contribute today and in the future to the achievement of the SDGs targets. Planetary boundaries linked to groundwater.
• How to put groundwater science and techniques at the service of SDGs?
• Specificities of governance and good management practices for groundwater resources management, relationships between groundwater and ecosystems, with surface water.
• Monitoring SDGs groundwater-related targets: KPIs, Indicators, monitoring for SDG targets. How to improve the indicators.
• Funding groundwater related SDG targets: Strategies, available means, innovative financing tools for the good governance, development and protection of groundwater resources. New financing opportunities to reach the SDGs targets. How can corporate funding contribute?
• Specific tools and approaches for groundwater survey and assessing the available resource, their quantitative and qualitative status: areas of progress, specific indicators, role of the various actors.
• Integrating global change and climate change impacts in groundwater-related SDGs targets achievement.
• Links between SDGs and the European Water Framework Directive.
• Decentralized cooperation in France. Assets of the NOTRe law, green grants, French Oudin law. Principle and examples (notably from Niger and Burkina Faso).
• Case studies: best practices, successes/worst failures. Presentations from management bodies, communities, NGOs…
• How to render visible the contribution of groundwater to SDG targets. Communicating about groundwater.