About the Conference
The UNC Water & Health Conference convenes policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to review the latest developments in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The event fosters discussions around innovative solutions, evidence-based policies, and emerging challenges in the WASH sector.
Key Themes & Focus Areas:
- Global WASH Policy & Governance: Addressing gaps in sanitation, hygiene, and water access through data-driven approaches and innovative financing.
- Water Security & Climate Change: Examining water scarcity, climate adaptation, and sustainable WASH governance strategies.
- Sanitation & Hygiene Innovation: Scaling up safe sanitation systems, understanding the role of market-based solutions, and addressing menstrual health.
- WASH in Public Health & Healthcare Settings: Strengthening WASH services in health care facilities, emergency response, and pandemic preparedness.
- Equity, Inclusion & Behavioral Change: Ensuring safe WASH services for marginalized communities, improving labor conditions for sanitation workers, and promoting gender-sensitive approaches
Conference Highlights:
Plenary Sessions:
- State of the World’s WASH: A review of global reports on drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, emphasizing gaps and urgent action needed to meet SDG 6.
- Capacity & Innovation in WASH: Discussion on how public and private sectors can scale up WASH solutions through innovative financing and training.
- WASH in Haiti: Key challenges and progress in strengthening Haiti’s water and sanitation sector, featuring insights from DINEPA leaders.
- Advancing WASH in 2023: Preparations for the UN Water Conference and strategies to accelerate global commitments to water security.
Workshops & Side Events:
- Scaling Market-Based Sanitation: Examining successful business models for sanitation services in urban and rural areas.
- Water Quality Monitoring & Safe Drinking Water: Exploring new data-driven tools and regulations for improving water safety.
- Emergency WASH & Resilience: Strengthening water infrastructure to withstand climate-related and humanitarian crises.
- Sanitation Workers’ Rights & Safety: Addressing the health and dignity of sanitation laborers in low-income settings.
Research & Innovation Showcases:
- Poster Presentations & Technology Showcases: Cutting-edge research on antimicrobial resistance, point-of-use water treatments, and decentralized wastewater management.
- Field Studies & Case Studies: Presentations from global research institutions on sanitation interventions, environmental health, and water management practices.
Networking & Engagement:
- Careers in WASH Sessions: Discussions with professionals from organizations like UNICEF, WHO, and the CDC about career pathways in water and sanitation.
- Happy Hour & Poster Sessions: Informal networking opportunities for researchers, policymakers, and students.
- Twitter Rapporteurs & Digital Engagement: Social media coverage via #UNCwaterandhealth, highlighting key takeaways in real-time.