Looking through the lens of water
As part of Stockholm University’s Bachelor’s Programme in Global Development, SIWI hosted 32 students through a webinar on 8 May 2020. Within the Bachelor’s Programme, the students are enrolled in a seminar series called “Global Agenda” in which they meet with representatives from different organizations and companies that work with issues related to global development. Under the theme of environment and development, SIWI had the great honor to host the students.
Jennifer Jun introduced the history and structure of SIWI, and Viktor Sundman discussed the topic of water in relation to development. When talking about water governance, a question was raised from a student about the issue of privatization of water and whether this is a problem. Jennifer Jun argued that this is indeed an over-arching issue, which raises questions about participation and accountability, but that this is not a subject which SIWI can shy away from.
– At SIWI we want to be more inclusive than exclusive, so we want those voices in the conversation to enable a multi-stakeholder dialogue around it.
The United Nation’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development was brought up as one of the main global policy processes that SIWI follows closely, in which all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are discussed. From a water perspective, SDG 6 is particularly highlighted, as well as the fact that looking through the lens water will help with all other SDGs.
After the general discussions on water and SIWI as an institution, three more colleagues joined the conversation, namely Maggie White, Kristina Johansson and Malin Gustafsson. The students were then separated into smaller groups, in which they were able to ask more questions to their respective SIWI representative. Even though the discussion had changed to an online format, which poses new challenges, it was a great opportunity to meet engaged students from Stockholm University, who seemed to share an interest in understanding and making a change in the world.
