Upcoming Events

2nd May, 2023, 6pm Register here.

Integration of different technical, social, and environmental disciplines into the planning and design of water projects has long been a goal of the water sector. Tools for integrated water resource management (IWRM) and for integrated agricultural and rural development (IARD) have evolved over decades.

In the last decade, the Water-Food-Energy Nexus emerged to bring together three critical components of water resource planning and was the theme of the Irrigation and Water Forum’s (IWF) February events addressing issues and approaches in the UK and overseas. However, the reality of bringing together different disciplines has been challenging as integration proved to be far more complex than originally anticipated. Finding lateral approaches between different disciplines was difficult and sustainability remained elusive.

In his 2022 ICE Presidential address, Keith Howells proposed using the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for identifying technical, social, and environmental sectors impacted by water and other projects. Using the SDG framework has many positives, including identifying an increased range of project benefits; improving the performance of projects by involving a wider range of affected actors in their planning and design; and, shifting the focus from outputs to outcomes. All of which lead to improved sustainability and better societies.

Join us at this year’s Gerald Lacey lecture, where the ICE President will discuss the rationale for including the SDGs in the planning and design of water sector projects and highlight examples of how the application of the approach has improved the planning and design of specific projects resulting in more inclusive and sustainable projects.