UNESCO-IWRA online conference: Emerging pollutants – protecting water quality for the health of people and the environment taking place 17-19 January 2023.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) and the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) will hold an online conference to highlight the ways the world can advance knowledge, research, and solutions for managing emerging pollutants to improve and protect water quality in a changing world.

This theme was selected to focus the conference on the intersection of the science-policy interface when addressing emerging pollutants, and steps and mechanisms that must be pursued to protect the health of people and the environment.

Most emerging pollutants are not regulated in environmental, water quality, and wastewater discharge regulations. Hence, there is an urgent need to: strengthen scientific knowledge and adopt appropriate technological and policy approaches to monitor emerging pollutants in water resources and wastewater; assess their potential human health and environmental risks; prevent and control their disposal into water resources and the environment; develop appropriate regulations to address and mitigate, as well as prevent the introduction of, such pollutants in the aquatic environment.

The Conference aims to:

• Explore the impacts of emerging pollutants on water resources, considering technical and policy solutions to mitigate and reduce human health and ecological risks, bearing in mind increasing demand on water resources, as well as impacts of global climatic and demographic changes.
• Identify the appropriate water policies and technologies needed to motivate change in water management, business, and policy priorities to address emerging pollutants.
• Highlight the bold policy and institutional change needed to support the transformation in water management and policy and across other sectors to ensure better and more reliable water quality to protect human health and ecosystems.
• Showcase successful efforts of innovative, nature-positive, and technological solutions for improved water quality and reduced water pollution.
• Examine the life cycle management of emerging pollutants to find solutions not only at end-of-pipe, but also solutions based on a circular economy approach and working with industry, regulators, and local communities, as well as engaging all relevant stakeholders (including under-represented groups).

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