With the participation of representatives from 22 countries, the first Global Symposium on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions, held in partnership by Itaipu Binacional and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Undesa), ended on Wednesday (15) with a message of hope.
“We have seen solutions in water and energy that are not only on paper, they are being implemented. This shows us how we are capable of achieving sustainable development”, said Undesa’s Sustainable Energy Team leader, Minoru Takada.
The purpose of the symposium was to share and explore, with experts and representatives of public and private entities, best practices in relation to the sustainable use of resources. The debates took place in Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) and Hernandárias (Paraguay) and dealt with climate change, conservation and use based on new technologies, among other topics, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the end of the event, Martin Niemetz, a specialist in Sustainable Development at Undesa, presented a draft with the conclusions of the meeting. Among the ten points contained in the letter, it is possible to highlight the consensus among the participating countries (in addition to Brazil and Paraguay, Algeria, Bolivia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and United States), on the need for synergy for cooperation in mitigating climate problems; strengthening long-term policies for issues involving water and energy; and concentrating efforts and financial resources to expand and accelerate investment in innovative solutions, such as green hydrogen, for example. The final report of the meeting should be presented in the coming days.
In the view of Itaipu’s Brazilian Director of Coordination, Luiz Felipe Carbonell, it is possible to contribute even more to the global debate on issues of common interest. “We were able to see successful examples of land and water management. These initiatives are fundamental to establish strategies to overcome possible crises,” he said. According to him, it is Itaipu Binacional’s role to provide support for both countries to meet global goals.
The Paraguayan Coordination Director of Itaipu, Gustavo Ovelar, reinforced the importance of the cooperation between the company and Undesa, strengthened through the symposium, in the search for tools that can help encourage public policies linked to sustainable solutions for water and energy.
Partnership
Itaipu Binacional and Undesa founded, in 2018, the Global Network for Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions. The proposal is to share good practices and experiences with institutions and governments around the world, in order to connect SDGs 6 (water) and 7 (energy) to the others that make up the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Currently, the Network already has 23 members from around the globe.
