Rome Water Dialogue – the second edition of FAO’s Rome Water Dialogue is underway

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organized another edition of the Rome Water Dialogue. An expert panel discussion on water has just begun in Rome. The UN water goals for 2024-2025 and the methods by which they can be achieved will be discussed.

Second edition of Rome Water Dialogue – who will participate and what is the focus?

This year’s two-day Rome Water Dialogue is an aftermath of the 2023 UN Water Conference. The theme of the second panel organized by FAO is “Managing Water Resources to Improve the Four Areas of Food, Production, Environment and Life to Achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.” The first such meeting was held last November.

The Rome Water Dialogue coincides with the Global Symposium on Soil and Water (GSOWA 2023), with both events expected to intersect through joint discussion blocks, debriefing and a final plenary session.

Rome Water Dialogue is an event that brings together water resource experts, environmentalists, NGOs, UN government representatives and research institutes related to water, agriculture and infrastructure.

Rome Water Dialogue program – achieving the goals set at the UN Water Conference

The task of the Second Rome Water Dialogue is to work out methods to implement the goals and commitments of the March 2023 UN Water Conference. These goals and commitments are compiled in the Water Action Agenda 2030 document.

The Rome Water Dialogue event will be a space to discuss the following topics:

• Building awareness about the links between water and food security, agriculture, soil health, climate change, fisheries, forestry and biodiversity;

• methods for implementing the eight FAO commitments made at this year’s UN Water Conference;

• FAO’s action plan for the coming two years (2024-2025) for achieving certain milestones in water management;

• Deepening the relationship and linkages between the agriculture and water sectors.

The following panel discussions were divided into individual thematic blocks:

• Innovation and technology in water management.

• Climate change, drought, flooding and water shortages.

• Water infrastructure and its financing.

• Water management and governance: equitable and sustainable access to water.

• National water management plans and strategies – an overview of the solutions of individual UN countries.

• “One water, one health, one planet.”

• Ecosystem-based solutions for agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

• Water management and the private sector.

Tomorrow there will be a joint plenary session summarizing the reports created during the above discussion panels. It will also feature reports from the Global Symposium on Soils and Water:

1. Soil and water management in dryland agriculture.
2. Soil and water management in irrigated agriculture.
3. Water and soil management under the One Health program.
4. Solutions to integrate water and soil management.

Rome Water Dialogue – a watery web of links

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is focusing its interests around water topics for a reason. Water is crucial to agriculture. This sector, to meet the world’s food needs, is responsible for 72 percent of the world’s food. freshwater intake. It is essential not only for crop and livestock production, but also in the supply chain or processing. Access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation are absolute cornerstones in the fight against hunger and malnutrition in the world. Various agricultural systems use solutions and practices that overexploit groundwater resources or cause surface water pollution. The quality and availability of water are correlated with the properties of the soils that provide for its filtration, purification and storage.

An extremely important issue in agricultural areas is flood management, which can effectively protect land for cultivation. The Rome Water Dialogue is tasked with looking at these issues and developing modern solutions to ensure sustainable access to drinking water for all sectors.

Photo source: FAO