World Water Week is the leading conference on global water issues, held every year since 1991. World Water Week attracts a diverse mix of participants from many professional backgrounds and every corner of the world to develop solutions to the world’s greatest water-related challenges, with topics ranging from food security and health to agriculture, technology, biodiversity, and the climate crisis.

This year’s theme at World Water Week is ‘Water for Climate Action’. Climate change is most significantly felt through water – droughts, floods, and sea level rise. Healthy wetlands are climate superheroes, central to both mitigation and adaptation. They sequester and store large amounts of carbon, protect shorelines and coastal communities from sea level rise, and reduce the intensities of both floods and droughts by capturing water and releasing it gradually.

With support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) under the Wetlands for Resilience Programme, Wetlands International will be participating at World Water Week, promoting healthy wetlands as central to climate action.

Find us at the Nature Hub and below

SIWI Seminar (1/3): The Role and Value of the Water Cycle in Climate Resilience

This session explores the vital role of the hydrological cycle in climate resilience, emphasizing how aquatic ecosystems such as wetlands, rivers, and lakes contribute to climate mitigation through carbon sequestration. Through case studies, it highlights the benefits of green and blue water management in boosting both ecosystem and community resilience, while also addressing the consequences of ecosystem degradation.
Date: 24 August
Time: 09:00 – 10:00
Location: Online

The Freshwater Challenge – Catalyzing Action for Climate Resilience

The Freshwater Challenge is a country-led global initiative for freshwater ecosystem protection and restoration. This session will highlight inspiring showcases by member countries and multi-stakeholder engagement, accelerating action and strengthening the freshwater-climate resilience nexus to drive impactful, scalable solutions for water security, biodiversity conservation, and climate mitigation.
Date: 25 August
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Location: A4, Level 6

SIWI Seminar (2/3): Biodiversity – The Water Cycle as a Pillar of Ecosystem Health

This session explores the crucial link between effective water management and biodiversity conservation, highlighting how abundant, well-managed water resources support thriving ecosystems—from tropical forests to wetlands. It emphasizes the integration of indigenous knowledge and community-led practices as powerful tools for sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. The session will feature innovative water stewardship approaches, spotlighting both theoretical frameworks and practical, place-based experiences.
Date: 27 August
Time: 09:00 – 10:30
Location: C4, Level 2

Wetlands restoration for climate action – inspiring examples for upscaling

This session will discuss the relationship between wetlands and climate action in a live talk show. More specifically, what is needed regarding landscape-based approaches to use wetlands as a tool for climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience? Speakers with decades of on-the-ground experience on safeguarding of wetlands in West-Africa will share their experiences on working with landscape-based approaches, inspiring the audience to take direct action themselves on water for climate action. |
Date: 27 August
Time: 11:00 – 11:20
Location: Talkshow studio, L5

SIWI Seminar (3/3): Climate-Biodiversity-Water Cycle Agenda 2026 – Shaping the Path Forward

This session brings together insights from the seminar to shape a unified, forward-looking agenda that integrates climate, biodiversity, and water priorities ahead of the 2026 UN Conference. Designed as an interactive, intergenerational workshop, the session emphasizes the central role of the water cycle in connecting climate and biodiversity goals. Participants will collaboratively develop a strategic framework and identify priority actions, with a focus on aligning global commitments and enhancing collaboration across sectors and generations.
Date: 27 August
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Location: Room 27, Level 2