Programme / Thematic session I./f Protecting Freshwater through Inclusive Collaboration to Achieve Social Justice

Protecting large freshwater resources, on which millions of people rely to live, is a key driver to achieve social justice.  The African Great Lakes and the North American Great Lakes alone represent 45% of the world's freshwater and support over 97 million people.

Globally, freshwater resources are increasingly threatened by a growing number of stressors requiring integrated and inclusive management approaches to address issues on water quantity and quality, food, livelihoods and in turn social justice issues including hunger and poverty alleviation, equity, and job creation – all for human wellbeing. Inclusive collaborations and gender equity are critical requirements in freshwater sciences towards achieving these these outcomes, and yet much more work remains to be done.

This session focuses on ways to:

• Protect freshwater resources through strong partnerships, education, including marginalized voices, and advancing women in science.
• Share knowledge that leads to policies promoting better outcomes that are meaningful, supported and lasting.
• Support planning for more inclusion of women, Indigenous Peoples and other voices in science, and address critical environmental social justice and equity related issues. 

Achieve the goals of protecting freshwater to continually allow the citizens in these regions to be self-reliant societies, realizing their own visions of livelihoods, justice, equity, democracy, and peace.