Water Webinar Series

Water and Sustainable Development: What has been achieved and what needs to be done?

Our next webinar will be Monday 6 June 2022, at 10.00am (GMT). The discussions will focus on the theme of water and sustainable development - what has been achieved and what still needs to be done.

Watch Event

The webinar will be moderated by Professor Fabrice Renaud, Professor of Environmental Risk and Community Resilience
at the School of Interdisciplinary Studies. Professor Carol Hill, Head of the University of Glasgow School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Director of Dumfries Campus, will introduce the webinar. The panel members will be Dr Rachael McDonnell, Dr Oyun Sanjaasuren, Professor Cecilia Tortajada and Mr Pierre van Rensburg. Closing remarks will be provided by Professor Graeme Roy, Dean of External Engagement in the College of Social Sciences at the University of Glasgow. Brief information on the speakers is given below.

 

Moderator

Professor Fabrice Renaud is Professor of Environmental Risk and Community Resilience at the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Glasgow. He is also the School’s Research Director. Before that, Fabrice was Head of the Environmental Vulnerability and Ecosystem Services section of the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security in Bonn, Germany. Fabrice leads research on (1) use of ecosystem-based approaches for reducing risks from natural hazards, and (2) broad sustainable development issues with a focus on human-environment interactions.

 

Introduction

Professor Carol Hill is Head of the University of Glasgow School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Director of its Dumfries Campus since 2014, prior to which she held a number of senior leadership roles. Her research has a focus on the social, economic and cultural constraints, including social constructions of identity, that produce inequalities and impact on life’s chances but, reflecting her early training as an economic historian, she has considerable strength over more than one subject specialism. This dualism has been key in furthering the strategic aims of a School that is intrinsically interdisciplinary and purposely brings academics from the social, natural and physical sciences together with the shared aim of identifying novel interdisciplinary solutions to the complex world problems of today.

 

Panellists

Dr Rachael McDonnell is Deputy Director General – Research for Development at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) where she leads and drives the water security science agenda to address global development challenges related to food, land and water systems under a climate crisis. She is a specialist in drought risk science and management from forecasting through to mitigation and financial risk management.

Dr Oyun Sanjaasuren is Director of External Affairs. A former Minister from Mongolia, Oyun has extensive experience in representing international organisations. She served as the first President of the United Nations Environment Assembly, the governing body of UN Environment. After leaving the Government of Mongolia in 2016, she was appointed Chair of the Global Water Partnership. Oyun’s five consecutive terms in Mongolia’s Parliament included stints as Minister of Environment and Green Development (2012–2014) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007–2008). Holding a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Cambridge, Oyun has also been a prominent advocate of civil and social rights.

Professor Cecilia Tortajada is Professor in Practice at at the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Glasgow, UK. Cecilia is a past president of the International Water Resources Association, member of the International Selection Committee of the Millennium Technology Prize, Technology Academy Finland, and member of the OECD Initiative on Water Governance. The main focus of her work is on impacts of global events on water resources, food, environment
and societies. She is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Water Resources Development.

Mr Pierre van Rensburg is Strategic Executive for Urban and Transport Planning at the Windhoek Municipal Council. Until 2017, he was Strategic Executive for Infrastructure, Water and Technical Services among other, responsible for the strategic planning and operations of all water and sewer related infrastructure in the city. This includes the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant where the direct reclamation of potable water from treated sewage has been practiced since 1968. Since 2016, he has also served as a member of the Technical Committee of Experts advising the Cabinet and President of Namibia on water security.

 

Closing Remarks

Professor Graeme Roy is Dean of External Engagement in the College of Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at the University of Glasgow. He is a former Senior Civil Servant in the Scottish Government and head of the First Minister’s Policy Unit. He is a past Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde. He has been a special adviser to the Scottish Parliament’s Economy Committee and is the incoming chair of the Scottish Fiscal Commission.

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Pictured: Professor Fabrice Renaud; Professor Carol Hill; Dr Rachael McDonnell; Dr Oyun Sanjaasuren; Professor Cecilia Tortajada; Mr Pierre van Rensburg; Professor Graeme Roy

First published: 24 May 2022