There is a continuous churning of new knowledge, findings and innovation in the water sector, mostly communicated in scientific journals, conference proceedings and technical workshops. This narrow communication style often keeps valuable voices and potential allies out of the conversation. To maximise the impact of these innovations and knowledge, all stakeholders in the value chain of the water and sanitation sector need to know, value and understand the implications of new findings for their operations.  

All stakeholders in the value chain of the water and sanitation sector need to be increasingly aware of the communication opportunities that are available to them, in order to maximise their impact and reach a wider network that goes beyond the conventional science-policy ‘echo-chamber’. As the contemporary world of communication and knowledge-sharing evolves, it presents new opportunities which are more inclusive and accessible to all. This session will explore these opportunities and will also provide useful tips for communicating complex policy issues, and turning complex scientific jargon into effective and simple language to reach a wider audience.  

This session will present a triple helix of water communication to support the effective acceleration and innovation within the sector, for maximum policy and advocacy impact. The three angles are: 

1) Communication to raise awareness of the value of water to the general public (through the arts, education, and news);  

2) Communication to promote science-based policy-making (open access research, science cooperation, capacity building, and advocacy); 

3) Intergenerational communication (talking about water as a business, entrepreneurship, and integration of youth perspectives in business for the acceleration of actions to reach goals such as the SDGs, climate goals and the water decade objectives).

Format of the session

The session will start with a 2 min video presentation from each of the speakers answering a prepared question.

All speakers will be called on “stage” to share their experiences on effective inter- and intra-stakeholder communication for operationalizing the commitments under Water Action Agenda and coordinated action.

The speakers might outline concrete actions such as useful communication tips, how to harness the science-communication-policy nexus, and successful campaigns which have led to real positive impact. Lastly, the interaction between the audience and the panelists is encouraged through Q&A. 

Additional materials

Presentation slides: available here.