Water accounting for the Sustainable Development Goals - A side event for the UN 2023 Water Conference

As part of the United Nations 2023 Water Conference. the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the Australia National University's Fenner School of Environment and Society (ANU), and Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) are organizing  the side event entitled Water Accounting for the Sustainable Development Goals. From promise to practice -How accounting for multiple water values can be used for sustainable development.  The event will take place virtually on 21 March 2023 from 4 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. (EST)

Water, a key component of natural capital , is fundamental to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  Water accounting has gained increasing traction in the public and private sectors as way to manage and balance the social, economic and environment needs.

The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), the international statistical standard for natural capital accounting, organizes water data and links them to economic data, turning raw data into information that can be readily used by decision makers in the public and private sectors. The SEEA provides a standardized suite of accounts allowing for international comparisons, industry benchmarking and a holistic approach to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the SDGs associated with water, climate change and biodiversity loss.  

The SEEA directly supports six indicators for SDG 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. It  provides important information on water efficiency, water quality, water scarcity, freshwater ecosystem extent and the reliance on water-related ecosystem services. 

The side event will be an interactive dialogue between users and producers of water accounts and water related information, with high-level speakers, a panel discussion and opportunities for questions. 

Featured speakers

	The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water, Government of Australia and Federal Member of the Parliament for Sydney.  Read full bio here.
	The Hon. Carl-Hermann Schlettwein, Minister for Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Government of Namibia. H.E. is the former President of the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) and Chair of the Africa Water Facility

Programme

Chair:

Gemma Van Halderen, Australian Bureau of Statistics and Interim Chair of the UN Committee of Experts on Environmental Economic Accounting

Rapporteur:

Michael Vardon, Australian National University's Fenner School of Environment and Society. 

• Welcome by Gemma Van Halderen, Australian Bureau of Statistics
• Speakers
  • The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water, Government of Australia
  • The Hon. Carl-Hermann Schlettwein, Minister for Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Government of Namibia  
• Introduction to water accounting
  • Bram Edens, Senior Statistician, United Nations Statistics Division
• Panel discussion
  • Juha Siikamaki, Chief Economist, International Union for Conservation of Nature
  • Ana Manero, Research Fellow, Water Justice Hub
  • Poolad Karimi, Irrigation Specialist, World Bank
  • Arjan Ruijs, Senior Responsible Investment Officer,  Cardano ACTIAM
  • Kenneth Bagstad. Research Economist, United States Geological Survey