Experts from politics, business and civil society discussed the role of the German water sector in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

At its traditional annual conference, German Water Partnership e.V. (GWP) held discussions with over 150 members, partners and guests from politics, civil society and business under the theme “Global Water Responsibility – Together for the Global Water Transition”. The focus was on the role of the German water industry in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6, access to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6). The aim of the event was to explore better interlinkage and cooperation between public and private sector players and to get them to engage in discussion. The result was a multifaceted and dialog-oriented conference that opened up many perspectives on future cooperation formats.

A moving debut and an emotional farewell

The participants were welcomed by Ingo Hannemann, Technical Managing Director at HAMBURG WASSER, in his role as the newly elected Chairman of the GWP Executive Board. He promptly highlighted the topicality of the issue: climate change impacts such as extreme precipitation events and drought are being experienced all over the world. As an industrialized nation, Germany has a global responsibility in this regard.

Subsequently, the highly emotional farewell of Gunda Röstel, former Chairwoman of the GWP Management Board and Commercial Director of Stadtentwässerung Dresden, took place. In addition to the uniqueness of GWP, the history of the GWP water drop logo and mermaids, serious topics were also discussed: Internationally, access to water is becoming increasingly difficult. The universal resource is often unequally distributed, overused or polluted. For this reason, Röstel called on the participants to network internationally, as is already the case in chamber and association partnerships or the international operator platforms.

BBefore she left the stage to resounding applause, Röstel  handed over to Hannemann the symbolic baton in the form of  – what else could it be? –  a rainmaker.

Thank you, Gunda Röstel, for the great years! We look forward to continued collaboration!

Holistic water solutions and good governance are key

The welcome address by Dr. Reinhard Hübner, CEO of SKion Water GmbH, was an urgent appeal for holistic water solutions, against the fragmentation of the sector and for greater attention to procedures, processes and training. Hübner pointed out the glaring contradiction that the poorest people pay the highest price for the most basic public service, namely clean drinking water. A professional water sector that can guarantee basic services also depends to a large extent on good governance.

Parliamentary State Secretary Dr. Bettina Hoffmann emphasizes the central role of water

In her keynote speech, Dr. Bettina Hoffmann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), highlighted the ministry’s long-standing good relations with GWP. Water is a cross-boundary issue in a wide range of global problems: “The world is finally beginning to understand: Water is a crucial factor in combating the triple planetary crisis – climate change, species extinction and pollution – but also for food security, energy production, education and many other areas. Without achieving our water goals, our global environmental and development goals will become unattainable.” Based on alarming figures – four billion people worldwide are affected by severe water shortages for at least one month – urgent action is needed: “Government, civil society and private sector involvement must go hand in hand.”

Utilizing synergies through strategic cooperation

The question of how such synergies between companies, financial institutions and the German government can be identified and used efficiently was then explored during the panel discussion. Dr. Attila Michael Bilgic, CEO of the KROHNE Group, Martin Geiger, Director Sustainability & Corporate Governance at Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), and Sofie Geisel, Managing Director of DIHK Service GmbH and Member of the Executive Board of DIHK, discussed the topic. It became clear that German SMEs have many solutions, process knowledge and potential. However, these must be made visible. The fact that system solutions are often put out to tender internationally is a further challenge for small and medium-sized companies. This requires the pooling of expertise and strategic consortia to ensure international competitiveness. Not only should the lowest price be the decisive factor for funding, but also compliance with the 2030 Agenda and ESG (environmental, social and governance) criteria. The importance of capacity building for sustainable water infrastructure was also emphasized.

Pitch’n Walk: Step by step to water innovations

The GWP Pitch’n Walk offered a lively and informative addition to the program. In this active format, participants gained insights into products, solutions, projects and activities in the GWP universe. The program partners of the GWP Annual Conference GUS LAB GmbH, KSB SE & Co. KGaA, the mioty alliance and Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH presented their services or their international commitment in short pitches. The participants also received an overview of the upcoming delegation trips as part of the BMWK’s market development program, presented by Fabian Fischer from the GWP office, and learned more about the BMBF-funded networking and transfer project WASANet and its added value for GWP membership from GWP speaker Marie-Louise Chagnaud. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our program partners who enriched the program with their pitches.

 

No impact without investment

The keynote speech by Nicola Beer, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), kicked off the event after the lunch break. She provided important insights from the perspective of a financial institution that has supported 1770 water projects worldwide with 86 billion euros since 1960. Here, too, the verdict was clear: we are dealing with the consequences of climate change all over the world. Droughts alternating with heavy rainfall and flooding require more investment in the water sector. From Berlin to Djibouti, the EIB is therefore financing water projects. The topic will continue to play an important role in the Bank’s portfolio. This was also reflected in the thematic sessions, which dealt with specific aspects and solutions in the water sector.

Parallel theme sessions delve deeper into the conference topics

Urban Water Resilience– Adaptable model with marketing potential abroad?

Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and droughts are posing ever greater challenges for cities around the world. The “Urban water resilience” session therefore looked at different approaches and concepts with the aim of exploring the marketing potential of the solutions.

Moderated by Dr. Gesa Kutschera (GELSENWASSER AG) and Dr. Ursula Schließmann (Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology), the panelists Dr. Pascale Rouault (Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin), Johannes Markus Becker (Berthold Becker Büro für Ingenieur- und Tiefbau GmbH), Dr.- Manuel Krauss (FiW e. V. – Forschungsinstitut für Wasserwirtschaft und Klimazukunft an der RWTH Aachen) and Chiyan Peng (Wasser Hannover WH e.V. – Zentrum für nachhaltiges Wassermanagement) contributed their expertise.

Several key points were identified in the course of the discussion: Defining resilience requires clear objectives in order to work effectively. Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial and a pragmatic approach should be taken. Communication and trust were identified as key factors for success. In addition, it was emphasized that the cultural value of water must be taken into account and individual, data-based solutions through digitalization play an important role.

The discussion made it clear that greater interdisciplinary cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and technologies are essential in order to strengthen water resilience in cities. The newly founded GWP working group “Urban Water Resilience” offers a platform to further advance these topics and develop concrete measures. Interested parties are invited to get involved and tackle the challenges of climate change together.

After war and disaster – build back better with water management “made in Germany”!

Here, the session participants looked at the importance of sustainable and innovative water management for post-crisis recovery. The two keynote speeches by Lars Selwig, Head of the Water and Circular Economy Division at the BMZ, and Sareen Malik, Executive Secretary of the African Civil Society Network for Water and Sanitation, were followed by a discussion between the panelists, moderated by Willy Leonhardt (Stadtentwässerung Dresden). During the panel, Prof. Jörg Felmeden (Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe), Johannes Rück (WASH Network), Hanna Montavon (Mykolaiv Water Hub) and Philipp Jokić (DIHK) reported on their experiences on the topic and emphasized the need to take both immediate and long-term measures. The session showed that an integrated approach to water management is essential to ensure sustainable post-crisis recovery.

The discussion concluded that a good balance between emergency aid and long-term solutions is crucial, whereby local structures must be strengthened and taken into account. It was emphasized that larger initial investments in the development of water infrastructure can pay off later. There is a need to raise awareness of the German market’s existing solutions worldwide in order to be able to use them efficiently and to intensify cooperation between the private sector and civil society.

(Public) funds as means to an end – development cooperation as a national growth stimulus?

The session featured an in-depth discussion on the interplay between development cooperation (DC) and economic growth. Moderated by Anja Eimer (SIEMENS AG), the four panelists Dr. Beatriz Casasola Rodriguez (Boreal Light), Pascal Gruner (SebaKMT), Sanchita Khandelwal (aqua & waste international) and Adrian Letzner (LETZTEST) used their experience to identify the need for more flexible, practical support mechanisms that would also benefit small and medium-sized enterprises. The importance of a stronger presence in the target countries, particularly through local partners and political representation, was emphasized. Networks and platforms such as GWP, as well as conferences and events in the target countries, facilitate access to decision-makers in the market. The LETZTEST mobile test laboratory in Sudan and the ShowCaseIN project provided examples of success. Overall, it was shown that development cooperation and economic growth can complement and support each other if they are coordinated through suitable funding structures and networks.

Talks with GWP: Focus on strategic development policy and water efficiency

In the new program format “Talks with GWP”, the participants received insights and impulses from user industries and the German association landscape. The first 20-minute discussion was held by Matthias Wachter, Head of Department for International Cooperation, Security, Raw Materials and Space at the Federation of German Industries (BDI). He presented the BDI policy paper “Time for a turnaround in development policy” and then answered questions from GWP Managing Director Boris Greifeneder and the audience. The policy paper calls for a rethink and reorientation of German development policy, for example by intensifying foreign trade promotion and development cooperation. The main issue here is how fewer funds can be used more effectively due to budget cuts. The focus of political efforts must be more strategic and tailored to the competitiveness of German companies in developing and emerging countries.

Iris Rieger, environmental expert at the BMW Group, offered a second look beyond the GWP horizon. She presented the company’s ambitious water efficiency targets. In order to use less drinking water for production, the various production areas are increasingly turning to other sources of water. Using examples from BMW plants in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and Chennai, India, she vividly demonstrated how different climatic regions deal with different water availability.

A call for holistic water management

Before Ingo Hannemann concluded a full program, many inputs and fruitful discussions and sent the guests of the GWP Annual Conference off to a networking evening at the Humbolthafen, he closed the event with an emphatic appeal to the participants: “Let’s not think in silos and stop at the boundaries of departments, but look at the challenges holistically.”

Shared responsibility for the global water transition

Even though the topics of the conference were serious and the urgent need for action was repeatedly emphasized and identified, the event was able to show us: In the GWP network, there are numerous players from business, industry, civil society and politics who do not shy away from Global Water Responsibility. Strategic cooperation, joint commitment and innovative approaches are crucial for the global water transition. “The GWP Annual Conference was an important first step in this direction – the next ones will follow,”GWP Chairman Hannemann concluded.

Special thanks also go to the partners of this year’s GWP conference who helped to make this event possible: GUS Lab GmbH, KSB SE & Co. KGaA,  mioty alliance and Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH.

We would like to thank all participants and speakers at the conference and look forward to continuing the exchange and seeing you again soon.

© GWP, Fotos: Frank Nürnberger, www.franknuernberger.de.