Local Leadership on Water Resilience
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Description
Local Leadership on Water Resilience
| Rapid urbanization and rising population density are increasing cities’ exposure to water stress, sanitation breakdowns, and associated public health risks. Despite sustained efforts by local authorities, water shortages and service disruptions are becoming more frequent, driven by climate change, demographic pressures, and competing demands on limited water resources all over the world.
Water underpins sustainable development across social, health, environmental, and economic dimensions. Achieving Sustainable Development Goal on Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6) is therefore not only an objective in itself, but a prerequisite for the broader 2030 Agenda. As the international community enters the final five years of SDG implementation and as it prepares for the upcoming UN Water Conference in December, accelerating progress requires scaled investment, technological and governance innovation, political leadership, and stronger coordination across all levels of government. Water is a human right, a public good, and a shared resource whose governance must serve the public interest. This begins at the local level. Mayors and city leaders are on the frontlines of service delivery, equity, and accountability. At the same time, with approximately 60% of global freshwater resources transboundary in nature, strengthened cooperation across jurisdictions and governance scales is indispensable. In this context, international organizations have a critical role to play in supporting local actors to prepare for and address these shared challenges. In this context, the experience of the city of Cape Town, South Africa, offers critical insights. Faced with an unprecedented drought crisis and the prospect of “Day 0,” the city implemented far-reaching water demand management measures that successfully averted system failure. What lessons emerged from this crisis? Which policies and behavioural interventions proved most effective? How is Cape Town now strengthening long-term urban water resilience and preparing for future climate-induced droughts?
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Date: 23 March 2026
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🎯 Objectives
- Marking World Water Day which aims to raise awareness and mobilize action on water. The webinar will brief local and regional governments on Cape Town’s experience in urban water crisis management, highlighting lessons learned and potentially replicable practices for local and regional governments and the international community.
- The discussion will also situate urban water management within the broader preparations for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference (Abu Dhabi, 2–4 December 2026), co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal. The webinar will equip participants with key insights into the Conference process, preparatory milestones and entry points for engagement by local and regional governments.
Speakers
- Graham Alabaster, Head, UN-Habitat Office in Geneva (Opening remarks)
- Zahid Badroodien, Councillor, City of Cape Town, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation
- Representative of UAE, as host of UN Water Conference (TBC)
Moderated by Anh Thu Duong, Co-Director, Global Cities Hub
Registration
Please register here for the online event. The event will have interpretation English-French/French-English.