Water and Sanitation for Peace, Energy, and Food Security

  • Africa Dialogue Series
The image shows a woman farmer, a kid drinking water and a shop attendant against a background of water drops and the title of the webinar.
@UN
Fecha
20 May 2026
Time
From 9:00am to 11:00am (America/New York)

Water and sanitation services are no longer sectoral development concerns; they are strategic determinants of Africa’s peace, security, energy transition, food systems, and economic transformation. Persistent deficits in safely managed water and sanitation services undermine productivity, exacerbate fragility, constrain energy and food systems, and can potentially amplify conflict risks, particularly under accelerating climate change. This webinar and the respective policy brief will explore how a Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem Nexus approach, strengthened transboundary governance, and the establishment of an African Water Peace and Security Architecture embedded within the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) can transform water and sanitation into a catalyst for stability, resilience, and shared prosperity.

Register here to attend!

Programme

  • Moderated by: Ms. Diane Arjoon, Principal Rural Water Security Officer, the African Water Facility, African Development Bank

9:00 - 9:20 Opening remarks

  • Ms. Cristina Duarte, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, (OSAA)
  • Mr. Abou Amani, Assistant Director-General for Sciences, a.i, Secretary, Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
  • Mr. Evariste Kouassi Komlan, Global WASH Director, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
  • Mr. Dhesigen Naidoo, Senior Research Associate, Institute for Security Studies (ISS-Africa)

9:20 - 10:20 Panel Discussion

  • Dr. Henry Roman, Regional Representative for Southern Africa, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
  • Dr. Mohamedou Baba Sy, Director, Water Department, Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS)
  • Dr. Betty Chinyamunyamu, Chief Executive Officer, National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi (NASFAM)
  • Mr. Eric Oyare, Africa Freshwater Lead, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
  • Mr. Bassem Saadallaoui, Chief WASH Mali, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
  • Mr. Victor Ochen,Founder and Executive Director, African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET)

10:20 - 10:55 Q&A with the audience

10:55 – 11:00 Closing remarks and call to action

  • H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Edrees, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations