THURSDAY. 18TH OF MARCH 2021, 2-4PM

To realise the right of water and sanitation, German policy has to make important contributions. In Germany, where the years of low rainfall since 2018 have led to distributional issues, this is an important topic. The public debate continues to focus on the contamination of drinking water reserves by agriculture, the consequences of the use of watercourses as energy sources. as well as questions of public or private provision of drinking water. But the use of water for the production of imported goods must also be urgently reduced. The so-called water footprint reveals this consumption and shows that more water is consumed in Germany than there is propotionally available. Finally, Germany has to make important contributions in order to protect people's rights to access to (drinking) water in other countries. Within the framework of developmental cooperation, the Government supports projects in this area, which is also of enormous importance for preventive health care. In addition, the government participates in various global committees and processes that have taken up the issue of water supply.

WE WANT TO TALK WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY, THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT AND THE GOVERNMENT TO DISCUSS AMONG OTHER TOPICS:
- How to deal with the fact that drinking water is likely to become a scarce resource in Germany as well?
- What instruments are available to ensure the right to water and sanitation in Germany in the future?
- What conflicts of use exist in the use of water resources, taking into account climate change and the progressive loss of ecosystems and biodiversity?
- What influence does German policy have on the availability of water in other regions of the world?
- What is the state of international water policy?
- Where is a need of imporvement. gaps in the regulation and approaches for more cooperation?
- What are the key levers for the sustainable use of water resources - in Germany, regionally and globally?

PROGRAMME

WELCOMING WORDS AND MODERATION
- Jürgen Maier (Executive Director, Forum Environment and Development)

ROUND 1: INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
- Lesha Witmer (Member of the Steering Committee Women for Water Partnership and European Pact for Water)
- Dinesh Suna (Coordinator, Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) of the World Council Of Churches)
- Dr. h.c. Maude Barlow (Food an Water Watch/World Future Council/Council of Canadians, Winner of the Right Livelihood Award)
- Frank Heinrich (Member of the German parliament, Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid)

ROUND 2: WATER IN GERMANY AND EUROPE
- Sebastian Schönauer (Member of the Steering Committee Forum Environment and Development)
- Steffi Lemke (Member of the German parliament, Chair of the Parliamentary Group "Free Flowing Rivers")
- Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter (Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety)