Water Institute Research Conference 2022

Water as a foundation for healthy communities and sustainable livelihoods

This online three-day international conference will explore progress against the UN’s SDGs at the intersection of water, health, food and gender through the work of international experts and early career scholars from Canada, Africa and Asia who will share research experiences and lessons learned from a variety of multi-sectoral projects led by academic and local partners.

Day One: Monday, September 26, 7:00 to 10:00 AM ET

Time (ET)	Speaker
7:00 to 7:05	Day One – Conference opening Roy Brouwer Executive Director, Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Canada
7:05 to 7:10	Conference opening remarks Katie Bryant Program Officer, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
7:10 to 7:15	Brief overview of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship program Jeanne Gallagher Program Manager, Universities Canada
7:15 to 8:00	Keynote presentation: Global child health and development: Does improving water safety and sanitation matter? Zulfiqar A. Bhutta Inaugural Robert Harding Chair in Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children and Director of Research at the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health, Toronto, Canada
8:00 to 8:05	Break
8:05 to 8:55	Panel discussion: Lessons learned in achieving SDG6 – Clean water and sanitation for all Moderator: Diana Karanja Director, Community Health Support Programme COHESU, Kenya Panelists: Elijah Bisung Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen’s University, Canada Inonge Milupi Head of the Department Language and Social Sciences Education, University of Zambia, Zambia Thelma Zulfawu Abu Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Connecticut, USA
8:55 to 9:05	Break
9:05 to 9:55	Panel discussion: Lessons learned in achieving SDG3 – Good health and wellbeing for all Moderator: Tom Wanyama Assistant Professor, School of Engineering Practice and Technology, McMaster, Canada Panelists: Elizabeth Onyango Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Canada Buba Manjang Director of Public Health Services, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Gambia Andrea Rishworth Postdoctoral Fellow, Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada
9:55 to 10:00	Day One – Closing remarks Craig Janes Director, School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Canada

Day Two: Tuesday, September 27, 7:00 to 10:00 AM ET

7:00 to 7:05	Day Two – Welcome Roy Brouwer Executive Director, Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Canada
7:05 to 7:50	Keynote presentation: Community-based approaches to achieving water and food security in Africa: Linking policy to practice Inga Jacobs-Mata Country Representative Southern Africa, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Pretoria, South Africa
7:50 to 8:00	Break
8:00 to 8:50	Panel discussion: Lessons learned in achieving SDG10 – Reduce inequality Moderator: Soumya Balasubramanya Senior Economist, The World Bank, Washington, USA Panelists: Douglas Singini District Medical Officer, Limulunga District Health Office, Zambia Jullian Sone PhD student, Department of Hydraulic Engineering and Sanitation, University of São Paulo, Brazil Archisman Mitra Researcher, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), New Delhi, India
8:50 to 9:00	Break
9:00 to 9:45	Keynote presentation: Irrigation nutrition linkages with implications on the role of water in transforming food systems Dawit Mekonnen Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, USA
9:45 to 9:50	Day Two – Closing remarks Sarah Dickson-Anderson Professor, Department of Engineering, McMaster, Canada

Day Three: Wednesday, September 28, 7:00 to 10:00 AM ET

7:00 to 7:05	Day Three – Welcome Roy Brouwer Executive Director, Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Canada
7:05 to 7:50	Keynote presentation: Water, Gender and Social Inclusion: A long way to go Deepa Joshi Gender, Youth and Inclusion Lead in the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka
7:50 to 7:55	Break
7:55 to 8:50	Panel discussion: Lessons learned in achieving SDG5 – Gender equality and empowering all women and girls Moderator: Lina Taing Director, Water Without Borders Graduate Diploma Program, Senior Researcher Water & Health, UNU-INWEH, McMaster, Canada Panelists: Rodgers Tayebwa Head of the Department Civil Engineering, Uganda Christian University, Uganda Mwimanenwa Njungu Lecturer, School of Medicine, Copperbelt University, Zambia Gervin Apatinga PhD candidate, University of Saskatchewan, Canada Sajida Aswan Academic Manager, Niagara College, Canada
8:50 to 9:00	Break
9:00 to 9:50	Panel discussion: How has QES contributed to the SDG’s and how do we keep the network alive? Moderator: Susan Elliott Professor, University Research Chair in Medical Geography, University of Waterloo, Canada Panelists: Ann Weston Senior Program specialist, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Diana Karanja Director, Community Health Support Programme COHESU, Kenya Masood Lohar Founder and CEO Clifton Urban Forest, Karachi, Pakistan Lina Taing Director, Water Without Borders Graduate Diploma Program, Senior Researcher Water & Health, UNU-INWEH, McMaster, Canada
9:50 to 9:55	Day Three – Closing remarks Roy Brouwer Executive Director, Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Canada