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World Water Day 2026 – Water for All

Celebrate World Water Day 2026 with the Water Institute! Join us for a full-day conference featuring inspiring keynote speakers, a showcase of innovative student research, award presentations and networking opportunities. Don't miss this exciting annual event!

Friday, March 20, 2026 - 10:00 am - 3:30 pm

University of Waterloo, Student Life Centre (SLC) Black and Gold Room,
200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada  N2L 3G

Agenda


10:00 am - 10:30 am
SLC Black and Gold Room

Registration and Refreshments

10:30 am - 12:00 pm
SLC Black and Gold Room

Dr. Katie Meehan
Inequality and the Work Transfer of Water Poverty

What are the hidden costs of deficient social infrastructures and water provision? Who bears the burdens of water poverty in the global North? Why is water poverty on the rise? Join Dr. Katie Meehan, Professor of Environmental Justice at King's College London, as she shares new findings and explanations for the emergence of infrastructure inequality in the world's wealthiest places. 
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
SLC Multi-purpose Room (1st Floor)

Student Research Showcase

2:00 pm - 2:15 pm
SLC Black and Gold Room

Presentation of the Collaborative Water Program 2026 Alumni Award

2:15 pm - 3:15 pm
SLC Black and Gold Room

Panel Discussion 
Water Equity and Shared Responsibility:
Intersectional Perspectives from Research and Practice

This panel brings together diverse voices to examine how the global water crisis does not affect all communities equally. It explores how intersections of gender, race, class, and other social factors shape unequal access to safe drinking water, sanitation, health, and safety. These issues will be examined through both global and Canadian perspectives. Panellists will also share challenges and successes from conducting research on sensitive and equity-focused topics in water research.

Featuring:

  • Susan Elliott, Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management and University Research Chair in Medical Geography, University of Waterloo. 
  • Abraham Nunbogu, WASH Researcher, The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)
  • Alexa Bennett, PhD Candidate, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo.
3:15 pm - 3:30 pm
SLC Black and Gold Room
Off Campus

Closing Remarks and Awards

4:00 pm

SWIGS Evening Social

Join the Society of the Water Institute Graduate Students (SWIGS) for an opportunity to network and have fun!

This is a free, in-person event open to all UWaterloo students and community members.

Help us accelerate progress toward a sustainable zero-waste campus and
bring your own reusable mug to the event! 

Registration is required and space is limited. Should you register and no longer be able to attend, please email water.institute@uwaterloo.ca.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

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