Contribute to the Nexus Dialogue! 
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Water Association (IWA) offer a space for the linkages across water, energy and food to be discussed through the Nexus Dialogue on Water Infrastructure Solutions. The Dialogue is a call to action to those leading transformations in water infrastructure planning, financing and operation. IWA and IUCN are requesting submission of your ideas, case studies, and tools. For more information see below.
Why contribute and how?
There is a rich array of experience and practical knowledge across professional fields including farming, energy-production, natural resource management, and engineering. However, the challenge is actively bringing these together to provide learning, knowledge exchange and moving to practical action.
The Nexus Dialogue on Water Infrastructure Solutions needs your contributions as the key actors to work together to build new investments in providing innovative water infrastructure and technology that address the interdependencies of water, energy and food.
There are a number of ways to share information.
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You can send your ideas, tools, and case studies by email to solutions@waternexussolutions.org. We have created guidelines that indicate what sort of information the initiative is looking for.
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You can upload information (documents or web links) directly through the Nexus Dialogue Toolkit.
If you have ideas or recommendations of case studies and tools but are not sure what information to provide, or have questions on how and what to contribute please contact us directly at solutions@waternexussolutions.org.
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What information is needed?
The Dialogue is looking for information on water infrastructure and technology along with effective institutions, financing and incentives that are being used (or proposed) to provide water for multiple uses. We would like to know who has benefited and in what way. Also, how do you think the infrastructure and technology is impacting the availability of water, energy, and food?
We also would like suggestions of specific tools and guidelines that can be used and promoted to improve the use of water infrastructure in sharing water resources across the water, energy and food sectors. This can be a decisions support system; a specific technology or process guideline; financing incentives; institutions, regulations and policy; and planning processes which consider water, energy and food together.
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How will this information be used?
Submissions will contribute to the online collection of case studies and tools which will be openly available for access and use by all. All viewpoints are welcome and will be included. The information gathered will be used as inputs into synthesis papers and background information for the Nexus Dialogue Workshops and the International Conference on Water, Food and Energy in 2014.
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Who is the target audience and who is involved?
The target audience are stakeholders across the Water Energy and Food sectors. People active in water, energy, food security issues and interested in sustainable solutions will find the knowledge being assembled on the Nexus dialogue platform of particular use and interest for the continued provisions and services within these sectors.
The Nexus Dialogue on Water Infrastructure Solutions is guided by a Nexus Reference Group who will help reach out to networks across sectors so that the platform benefits from all available contributions. They also provide strategic direction, experienced opinion, foresight and thought leadership to the Dialogue. Reference Group members are drawn from leading agencies working on nexus and infrastructure challenges in the water, food, and energy disciplines.
Beyond the reference group, we welcome inputs from across sectors and scales, from local government to the UN, from the private sector to NGOs, and from agriculture to water supply.
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What other opportunities are there to express my ideas?
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Through to the end of April, the Nexus Dialogue on Water Infrastructure Solutions is highlighted as a Hot Topic on the IWA WaterWiki, and there are opportunities to win prizes by contributing articles!
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Take part in discussions and explore through the IWA WaterWiki
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How can I take part in events?
There will be a series of anchor workshops that are part of the dialogue process. These have limited funds and spaces, but the intention is to have representation from diverse stakeholders and from across sectors and interests. There are other opportunities to have direct interaction. This includes:
Also if you have an event that will be focusing on the Water-Energy-Food Nexus, especially around the use of infrastructure and technology as a well as institutional and financing solutions, please let us know so we can explore linkages and how to share information.
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Where are the next steps beyond the Dialogue?
The Dialogue is the first step in catalysing thinking on nexus solutions and provides a unique opportunity to move from discussions about the existence of the water, energy and food nexus, to forming new partnerships that can actively address the nexus in a localized context. We want to provide a platform in which stakeholders can identify ways of operationalising the nexus.
Along with educating and advancing thinking on infrastructure and the nexus, the Dialogue will provide the opportunity to catalyze a number of partnerships and proposals that enable follow up discussion to determine how to apply analysis of tools, and how to move to the second stage of designing and setting up solutions around nexus issues.
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How does this link to the Bonn Nexus Platform?
The ‘Nexus Dialogue on Water Infrastructure Solutions’ is a partnership initiative that grew out of the Bonn Nexus Conference back in 2011. One of the objectives in Bonn focused on launching concrete initiatives to address the water, energy, food security nexus in a coherent and sustainable way.
At the conference there was increased interest in investing in water infrastructure in different parts of the world because of concerns around water storage, water supply and flood protection for example, as well as food security, population growth and the need for climate change adaptation. In addition to the initiative focusing on water infrastructure, understanding what the broader set of options and technologies might be that work well across the water, food and energy sectors are key for the dialogue.
For further information, check the Water, Energy, Food Security Resource Platform here.
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What is the role of IUCN and IWA?
IUCN and IWA function as the Secretariat of the Nexus Dialogue on Water Infrastructure Solutions. By offering a space for solutions, both organisations are committed to an open exchange amongst all interested stakeholders.
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