14:30 – 16:30 SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCE SEMINAR

Facilitator: Brandon Abdinor, Attorney, Facilitator, Writer & Consultant

14:30 – 14:45 Opening and Welcome

• Jørgen Erik Larsen, Counsellor Water Environment, Energy, Research and Innovation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

14:45 – 15:40 Panel Discussion: Sustainable approaches to water: Strategies for infrastructure development, management, maintenance and monitoring

Water is the resource we can least do without but it’s increasingly under threat worldwide – both on land and at sea. The socio-economic and environmental benefits that would derive from reversing this situation cannot be underestimated. With adequate supplies of potable water, it is impossible to achieve development goals such as eradicating poverty, promoting gender rights, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating diseases. Consequently, businesses have a moral obligation to reduce their water use as much as possible. Fortunately, companies that invest in recovering and reusing water through recycling wastewater for cooling and other applications can achieve water and energy savings of 70% and 90% respectively. Water savings are also more easily achievable in the short term – more effective irrigation techniques, for example, could immediately begin to reduce South Africa’s massive agricultural water footprint, which currently accounts for 60% of water consumption in a very dry country. Industrial sites are set to swallow up 24% of all potable water used in the world by 2025 – recycling needs to make a difference here. Cities, too, can make substantial gains through a more strategic approach wastewater infrastructure development, monitoring and maintenance. Of course, better water management brings about cost savings, too

• Dr Lester Goldman, CEO, Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA)
• Richard Garner, Head of Department, Environmental Services, NSA Group
• Webster Mfebe, CEO, South African Forum of Civil Engineering
• Mads Warming, Global Vertical Development Director: Water & Waste Water Segment, Board Member, Danish Water Cluster
• Chetan Mistry, Strategy and Marketing Manager, Xylem SA

Facilitator: Brandon Abdinor, Attorney, Facilitator, Writer & Consultant

15:45 – 16:30 Panel Discussion: Creating a sustainable BLUE economy

Africa’s youth population is projected to reach 830 million by 2050 – over 300 million will join the labour market by 2035. With chronic water scarcity and the rising cost of living, the outlook is bleak – or is it? Given the proper mechanisms, the Blue Economy presents a sustainable pathway to address the interconnected challenges of food production and employment creation while assuring the health of the natural environment and human populations. Blue ocean industries such as fisheries, coastal tourism, energy and mineral production, boat building, shipping and port activity all have their part to play. Already, new projects are under way, from offshore gas finds off Mossel Bay to new port projects and aquaculture initiatives. Connect with the Sustainable Water Resource Seminar at Sustainability Week 2020 to find out how the Blue Economy is advancing the sustainable development agenda.

• Judy Beaumont, Deputy Director-General: Oceans and Coast, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (Invited)
• Karin Kemper, Global Director, Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy Global Practice, Environment, World Bank
• Siyabulela Skade, President/CEO, African Continental Chamber (ACCCI)
• Paul Holthus, Founding President & CEO, World Ocean Council
• Rashid Sumaila, Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Fisheries Economics Research Unit, OceanCanada Partnership
• Alec Taylor, WWF

Please Note: This is a Provisional Programme and will be subject to change from time to time