Water: How long would you last without?

Water is essential to life itself. It supports healthy ecosystems, drives economic progress and is fundamental to nearly every Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

That’s why the issue of water – from conservation and clean oceans, to sanitation and food security – is front and centre at Expo Talks: Water, the last in a series of Expo-led themed events that seek to drive global action to solve some of our planet’s most pressing challenges.

Held on 23 March, one day after World Water Day, this virtual gathering will host members of the Expo family and global experts, including Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of State for Food and Water Security, and pioneering oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle, to explore ways to collaborate to better preserve and sustainably manage water across the world.

Want to find out how fuel and food can be produced in saltwater and desert ecosystems? Professional services and technical solutions provider, Jacobs – part of the Jacobs Mace joint venture serving as Expo 2020’s Official Programme Delivery Management Provider, will outline its work at the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium on the Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (SEAS). 

Concerned about water scarcity and pollution? The ‘Oceans of Plastic with Norway’ panel will delve into ways we can better protect and clean up our oceans, while Peru will look back on ancestral techniques of preserving water in reservoirs, or qochas – and show how they remain effective today.

Curious about sanitation? Haiti-based Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) will share its revolutionary approach – providing affordable container-based toilets to Haiti, safely collecting the waste and transforming it into agricultural-grade compost. Just one of many inspiring Expo-backed projects successfully tackling water challenges, SOIL’s EkoLakay project is supported by both Expo’s Global Innovation and Partnership Programme Expo Live, and its Global Best Practice Programme.  

Expo Talks: Water is the last in a series of thematic talks, launched in October 2020 with Space, that has brought together influential policymakers, thought-leaders, Expo participants and the public to help shape the thought-provoking content and conversations taking place during Expo 2020.

Running from 1 October 2021 until 31 March 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai will seek collaborative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues – including weeks dedicated to Climate and Biodiversity, Knowledge and Learning, and the Sustainable Development Goals – to help shape a cleaner, healthier, safer future for all.