World Water Week is annually observed across the globe on the last week of August to address the global water issues and related concerns of international development.
World Water Week 2022 takes place from 23 August to 1 September.
- World Water Week 2021 was observed from 23rd to 27th August 2021.
- World Water Week 2020 was observed from 24th August to 28th August 2020.
The World Water Week is an annual event organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
The theme of the 2022 World Water Week is “Seeing the unseen: The value of water”.
Background:
i.The World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden was started as the Stockholm Water Symposium in 1991.
ii.In 2001, the Stockholm Water Symposium was officially renamed as the World Water Week in Stockholm.
Significance:
i.World Water Week aims to draw the attention of the world to the water crisis and the sustainable use of water.
ii.It is meant to explore new ways of mitigating the challenges of water scarcity and to tackle the water crisis and its links to problems of health, food security, biodiversity and climate change.
- World Water Week 2022 is an important milestone on the way to the United Nations (UN) 2023 Water Conference.
Water Week 2022 events
World Water Week 2022 offers a platform for a global conversation to discuss the diverse aspects of water and understand others’ views and values of water.
Within the overall theme of “Seeing the unseen: The value of water”, the sessions will be grouped under three headings:
- The value of water for people and development
- The economic and financial value of water
- The significance of water for nature and climate
ii.The meeting will take place in a hybrid format in Stockholm, Sweden and online. The event will take place from 23 August – 1 September, with the event taking place from 23-25 August online only and 28 August to 1 September online and on-site.
Awards:
During World Water Week, the Stockholm Water Prize, the world’s most prestigious water award is presented in a royal award ceremony. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize ceremony will also be conducted as a part of World Water Week.
About Stockholm Water Prize:
i.It is the world’s most prestigious water award, often described as the Nobel Prize of water and is characterized by a similar selection process.
- Since 1991, the Stockholm Water Prize has been awarded to people and organizations for extraordinary water-related achievements.
ii.The Prize is awarded by SIWI in cooperation with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and presented by H.M King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, who is the official patron of the Prize.
- The prize will be awarded on 31 August 2022, during World Water Week.
About Stockholm Junior Water Prize:
i.Stockholm Junior Water Prize ceremony is annually organized since 1997 and it is a part of World Water Week.
ii.It is a competition for students aged 15 to 20 who have developed research projects that can help solve major water challenges.
iii.The prize is awarded to the winning student or group of students by The Prize’s patron HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
Note-
World Water Day is annually celebrated on 22nd March to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
- The World Water Day 2022 theme-Groundwater: Making The Invisible Visible
About Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI):
Executive Director-Torgny Holmgren
Headquarters– Stockholm, Sweden
Founded-1991.
