Water security is a concept that was developed by the United Nations (UN) and other global organisations. The concept dates back to the 1990s but proliferated over time. It has evolved into a multi-dimensional policy concept that covers areas including water for people and their health and wellbeing, water for ecosystems, water for economic development and food production, and water and climate hazards. As a holistic approach, it depends on transboundary stakeholder collaborations, water governance, peace and political stability and financing.

Water security is deeply interconnected to sustainability, well-being, ecosystems, social and economic development, and climate change. It provides a  foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a basis for policy development, sustainable water management, setting priorities, long-term development beyond SDGs, and considers the impact of climate change and global demographics. Fast urbanisation, social and structural inequalities make cities an especially tough challenge for water security. How to make sure that we are leaving no one behind?

This is the second webinar of a “Water Security Webinar Series” which we are proposing to raise awareness about the challenges and opportunities around water security globally, engaging with key sectors (e.g., utilities, industry, agrifood), increasing the participation of key stakeholders (e.g., young water professionals, policy makers) and regions (e.g., global south).

The programme focusses on the delivery of two webinars per year, each one of them focusing on an urgent and timely aspect of water security to give a detailed view of the overall concept of water security at the end of the series. The first webinar was delivered in June 2024, and the recordings are available on the IWA Network website in English and Spanish, and on the IWA YouTube channel (EN & ES).

This 2^nd webinar in the series will discuss Water Security in relation to governance, economic development and finance.