Water Changemaker Awards launched in South Korea
Water Changemaker Awards launched at IAW in South Korea to recognize climate-resilient innovations.
Songsan, South Korea - The Water Changemaker Innovation Awards 2023 were officially launched on July 6, 2023, during the kick-off of the International Asian Water Week, the largest gathering on water in Asia, writes Winston Mwale.
This global initiative aims to recognise high-level commitment and leadership for climate-resilient water investments and highlight investment-ready climate-resilient innovations with the potential for scale and replication, ultimately supporting a water-secure world.
The Water Changemaker Awards are convened by the Continental Africa Water Investment Programme, K-water, the World Bank, and the Global Water Partnership. H.E Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Botswana, serves as the Honorary Co-Chair of the Water Changemaker Awards.
During the launch, Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations, delivered a keynote address emphasizing the visible effects of climate change on water, such as floods, droughts, rising sea levels, and other destructive weather events.
He urged urgent action in implementing the over 700 commitments made at the UN Water Conference 2023 to drive the transformation toward a climate-resilient water-secure world.
Mr. Ban Ki-moon stated, "Climate resilient innovations with potential for scale and replication can expedite our progress by providing governments with technologies and approaches that were not only previously unavailable but that also have the potential to create sustainable jobs and improve livelihoods. It is my hope that the Water Changemaker Awards will bring the best of these innovations to light and link them with new finance sources to enable them to scale."
In a video message, Mr. Ban Ki-moon praised the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa for launching their report, "Africa's Rising Investment Tide," on World Water Day in March 2023.
The report outlines three pathways to secure an additional US$30 billion to achieve water security and sustainable sanitation in Africa by 2030. He urged the replication of the Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP) for other water-insecure regions.
K-water, the host of the launch event, emphasized the need for global cooperation and collaboration in addressing climate change and achieving carbon neutrality.
Dr. Seog Dae Yun, Chief Executive Officer of K-water and co-chair of the Water Changemaker Awards, stated, "The launch of the Water Changemaker Awards represents a very significant step in encouraging innovation in the water sector to improve global climate resilience."
The World Bank Group, a co-convenor of the awards, highlighted the positive impact the Water Changemaker Awards would have on boosting competition and creative innovation to address cutting-edge issues in the water sector.
They emphasized the financing gap in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for access to water supply and sanitation globally and expressed the need for new, innovative models to deliver water services.
The launch event was attended by high-level delegates, including Mr. Pablo Bereciartua, Global Water Partnership Chairperson, and Ms. Jaehyang So, Chair of the Water Changemaker Innovation Awards 2023 Jury.
Mr. Bereciartua encouraged those with climate-resilient innovations to submit their entries, highlighting the significance of water in climate change.
He said, "Climate change is together with us. We will see many things that we don't imagine in the next few years. We're already seeing that. And climate change is actually water change. Climate is about water. Climate is how the water moves around our planet. So, we need to move from analysing what climate change is about into really providing solutions to climate change."
Eligible entities can enter the Water Changemaker Innovation Awards if they have been operating for at least one year and are seeking to scale up a successful business model related to water that has contributed to building resilience to climate change.
Entries for the awards are open from July 6 to August 18, 2023.
The winners of the Water Changemaker Innovation Awards will be announced in November 2023, during COP 28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.