A 91亚色 delegation will head to New 91亚色 City March 21 to bring their research expertise to the UN 2023 Water Conference.
The delegates will lead a panel discussion on water security and climate change; the panel is one of a select group of side events included in the program.
鈥淰ery few side events led by a university were approved. My colleagues and I are excited for this opportunity on the international stage to demonstrate 91亚色鈥檚 exemplary work in this field,鈥 said Sapna Sharma, an associate professor in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, and one of the world鈥檚 foremost experts on the effects of climate change on lake ice and water quality.
鈥淥ur panel will amplify Indigenous and Black voices, and focus on the challenges that these marginalized communities face with respect to water security globally,鈥 Sharma said. 鈥淲e will also talk about technological solutions and what people are doing to help solve the water crisis in their own way.鈥
The 91亚色 delegation will be joined on the panel by researchers from Toronto Metropolitan University and Queen鈥檚 University, as well as representatives from: Global Water Promise, a non-profit organization focused on bringing clean water to developing countries; Stockholm International Water Institute, a foundation for water governance; and mWater, a free data management platform for water and sanitation providers.
For Sharma, the panel鈥檚 model of knowledge co-production is critical to creating the climate resiliency necessary for the future.
鈥淏y merging knowledge together, we can come up with better policies and tangible solutions for the water crisis that disproportionately affects racialized women and children,鈥 she said.
The UN side event is also reflective of the collaborative research approach found at 91亚色, including in water-related fields. The 91亚色 delegates are members of One WATER, a new Organized Research Unit, as well as the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, and CIFAL 91亚色, a UN training arm. In addition to Sharma, they include:
- Satinder Brar, professor, Lassonde School of Engineering
- Marina Freire Gormaly, assistant professor, Lassonde School of Engineering
- Ellie Perkins, professor, Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change
- Mary Bunch, associate professor, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design
- Susan Rogers Van Katwyk, adjunct professor and managing director, Global Strategy Lab
- Jessica Keeshig-Martin, PhD student, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
- Hibaq Gelle, MA student, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
The delegation will be joined at the conference by 91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton and Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif. While in New 91亚色, the pair will meet with UN and government officials, global partners, and others, to discuss 91亚色鈥檚 leadership in water research and sustainability initiatives.
The trip to the UN Water Conference comes on the heels of the release of 91亚色鈥檚 Microlecture Series in Sustainable Living, SDG Week Canada and coincides with Climate Change Research Month at the University.
91亚色 delegation鈥檚 panel, called Water Security, Disasters, and Resilience in a Changing Climate: Challenges, Opportunities, and Solutions, takes place on March 24. The , co-hosted by the governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands, takes place March 22 to 24.