The roadmap of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the 2030 Agenda was adopted in 2015 by the 193 UN member states. In the Sustainable Development Goals, the top global priorities include addressing water issues, including adaptation to climate change. In particular, groundwater is an essential factor in achieving these goals because it is cross-cutting, both directly, for example for food (SDG2), drinking water and sanitation (SDG6), hygiene and health (SDG3), energy (SDG7), aquatic life (SDG14) and terrestrial life (SDG15), but also indirectly, with regard to gender equality (SDG5), education (SDG4), peace (SDG16) and partnerships (SDG17).
In addition, UNESCO has proclaimed the year 2022 as "International Groundwater Year".
Main objectives
The international conference organised by the French Hydrogeology Committee (CFH) from 18 to 20 May 2022 in Paris will examine all the relationships between the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, their stakeholders, and groundwater.
The aim of the conference is to share knowledge, experience, findings and good practices relating to groundwater in sustainable development trajectories and is intended to lead to the publication of a set of recommendations to be proposed to the UN to bring groundwater management into line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Aims of the conference
To constitute a meeting point to encourage discussions between the various national and international stakeholders in the fields of water and sustainable development:
- decision makers from the international level to local authorities, such as Water Agencies, catchment area authorities and local groundwater management and protection bodies, etc.
- funding agencies and donors;
- NGOs, civil society, local communities, farmers, water and sanitation companies, industry;
- groundwater resource specialists: scientists, national and local authorities, planning departments, engineering firms and consultants, etc.
Conference programmme
- Keynote speakers and participant presentations (speeches, poster presentations)
- Round tables and workshops open to conference participants: innovative forms of facilitation and presentation (summaries based on contributions received in advance; topics assigned to facilitators for each subject area prior to the conference)
- Young people will be given a good opportunity to express themselves: secondary school pupils and university students, young researchers, professionals, etc.
