The 30th UN-Water Meeting convened from 31 January – 1 February 2019, in Rome, Italy, at the headquarters of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Participants discussed upcoming high-level events and reports that are being prepared on water and sanitation policy and practice issues, including on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 (clean water and sanitation). Participants also addressed ongoing work on SDG 6 indicators and upcoming global awareness-raising events.

In preparation for the in-depth review of implementation of SDG 6 as one of the sub-set of SDGs to receive such a review during the July 2018 meeting of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), UN-Water Members had coordinated their efforts to develop the SDG 6 Synthesis Report 2018. The 30th UN-Water Meeting reviewed the consultation process that was undertaken during the final stages of the preparation of the Synthesis Report, including recommendations for the next Synthesis Report.

Participants also discussed a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that calls for two high-level meetings – one in 2021 and one in 2023 – on water and sanitation issues, and options for how UN-Water could contribute to the preparations for these meetings.

For the first time, the UN-Water agenda included an “Open Space” session for participants to propose specific topics that could benefit from a focused discussion and brainstorming. Participants said they appreciated the opportunity to hold face-to-face conversations on these topics and agreed to include time for an Open Space on the agenda at the next UN-Water Meeting.

At the conclusion of the meeting, UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo highlighted the discussions on data for measuring SDG 6 progress, country-level activities for UN-Water, and the role UN-Water Partners can play in engaging with UN-Water and the specialized UN agencies, all of which captured UN-Water’s collaborative approach to coordinating actions to address global water challenges. In adjourning the open session, Houngbo looked forward to seeing all Members and Partners at the next UN-Water Meeting, in August 2019, in Stockholm, Sweden.

UN-Water Chair Gilbert Houngbo addresses the 30th UN-Water Meeting (L-R): Federico Properzi, UN-Water Chief Technical Adviser; Olcay Ünver, UN-Water Vice-Chair; Gilbert Houngbo, UN-Water Chair; Madhushree Chatterjee, UN-Water Secretary; and Nicolas Franke, Special Assistant to the UN-Water Secretary

The agenda for the 30th UN-Water Meeting included an "Open Space" session for participants to propose specific topics that could benefit from a focused discussion and brainstorming.