Day 1
Tuesday 2 May
All systems and people connecting
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We open with our symposium’s purpose. Experts, changemakers and decision-makers assemble to explore how connecting across boundaries and promoting systems leadership can enable us to achieve social justice and improved national systems.
C4.1 Hearing the unheard: human rights to water and sanitation
Time: 11:30
Location: King Willem Alexander, World Forum
There is an urgent need to elevate the voices of marginalised groups whose voices are not heard in local decisions or global events. The session addresses three questions:
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How does a lack of safe, adequate, affordable, acceptable, available water and sanitation affect your community?
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What actions have you taken to address this and what responses have your received from government?
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What support and action do you want to see from the UN and the international community?
W5.1 Decolonising the WASH narrative to promote systems change, Part 1: disrupting the single story
Time: 11:30
Location: Yangtze 1, World Forum
To achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 we must first reduce the inequalities created by structural violence that impede solving WASH issues. We must then realise our roles in maintaining these systems of oppression to decolonise the WASH narrative and ensure that we tell a comprehensive and inclusive WASH story.
W3.2 Amplifying voices: locally-led approaches to improve water management
Time: 13:45
Location: Oceania Foyer, World Forum
Local realities and voices need to be better reflected in water management policies and decision-making processes to improve the quality of planning and decision-making. This session will explore community and people-centred approaches to water resources and risk management.
W5.2 Decolonising the WASH narrative to localise systems change, Part 2: changing the narrative
Time: 13:45
Location: Africa, World Forum
How can we make the WASH story more equitable with a shared vision for the future? Who should be telling the WASH story? In part 2, we will reimagine a co-created partnership across the WASH spectrum, ensuring we are allies in tackling inherent colonial legacies.
C4.2 Where and how does gender justice strengthen WASH systems?
Time: 15:30
Location: South America, World Forum
Come learn about CARE's experience on gender equality and increasing women’s voice from the community level to government. We will describe methods, tools, impacts and challenges, and reflect as a group on opportunities to further advance gender equality for strong WASH systems.
W2.3 Policy and finance addressing inclusion in market systems
Time: 15:30
Location: Oceania Foyer, World Forum
The private sector plays an important role in delivering sanitation and handwashing products and services to households. This session showcases how government can create an enabling environment for businesses to inclusively reach poor households as potential customers (by implementing strategies to unblock barriers, ensuring equitable financial allocations, introducing smart/targeted subsidies).
Day 2
Wednesday 3 May
Strengthening all systems – building resilience with water, sanitation and hygiene
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Our systems journey continues as we explore and promote the role of resilient national water and sanitation systems, and the change agenda required to deliver them. Explore how water and sanitation can galvanise the development of wider public services.
C1.4 The role of women and girls in designing solutions to WASH in healthcare
Time: 11:30
Location: Yangtze 1, World Forum
Poor WASH conditions in healthcare facilities disproportionately impact women and girls, both as healthcare workers and as patients. This session will discuss the strategies WASH and health partners use to more effectively engage women and girls in the process of designing gender-responsive solutions to these challenges in healthcare facilities.
W4.10 SDG 6.2 is only attainable with rights and dignity for sanitation workers
Time: 11:30
Location: Amazon, World Forum
Come brainstorm ideas to support sanitation workers! Every country needs a healthy, professional, and motivated sanitation workforce to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6.2. Sanitation workers provide an essential public service and are a key piece in the systems needed to deliver safely managed sanitation services, but often do so at the cost of their dignity, health, and living conditions.
C4.3 Claiming the rights to housing, water, sanitation and a safe environment
Time: 13:45
Location: South America, World Forum
Learn about community efforts and rights-claiming strategies to improve access to housing, land, and essential services. The session will discuss the impact of community mobilisation, litigation, media influence, and policy advocacy. We will also explore the opportunity for government to co-create housing and services provision.
W4.6 Rights, inclusion and regulation for system strengthening
Time: 13:45
Location: Yangtze 2, World Forum
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals demands a strong focus on gender equality, disability, social inclusion and rights to ensure better outcomes for all. Using practical examples, this session will challenge participants to consider how, beyond equitable service access, WASH systems can be transformative through changing social norms, decision-making power and rights-holder participation.
W5.6 Collective action to tackle SDG 6, Part 2: the power of collective action
Time: 15:30
Location: Yangtze 2, World Forum
The session will share the experiences of actors in WASH systems who have employed collective action to drive change in policy and implementation. The intent is to spark ideas and discussion to further collective action for WASH across various contexts and actors.
Day 3
Thursday 4 May
Taking action as systems leaders
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We'll synthesise insights from the first two days, agree on actions and put you in the driving seat. With help from our Wisdom Council, you’ll take part in Action Assemblies and a final plenary to help define a post-event agenda while –hopefully – committing to your role in it.
C4.4 Claiming the right to decent work and to make a living
Time: 8:30
Location: Yangtze 2, World Forum
Come learn about the informal economy, the lifeblood of marginalised communities. The session will explore the rights-claiming actions of informal and precarious workers including sanitation workers, waste reclaimers and informal traders, and the actions needed to ensure their dignity and enabling regulation.
C4.5 Action Assembly: social justice
Time: 11:00
Location: King Willem Alexender, World Forum
It’s time to raise our voices! Participants, not speakers or dignitaries, will be in the driving seat, for these informal town hall-style ‘Assemblies’ dedicated to moving the Water Action Agenda forward. A small number of foundational questions will generate insights, action agendas and systems leadership demands for each.
