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Initiative for implementing water and sanitation as a fundamental human right in the Constitution of Macedonia.

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The Rights of water Campaign was launched by Alberto Tiraferri, Associate Professor at Politecnico di Torino (Italy). The main goal of the Campaign is to draft a Declaration of Water Rights to grant specific rights to water, and to consider it as a subject with ontological value, not as a mere object. Other than drafting the Declaration of Water rights, we hope to promote a new ecological and civil culture to discipline once again the relationship between water and human beings, thus deconstructing the idea that man is the owner of water, a belief that has long justified an abuse and improper use of the water element. Thanks to the work of Professor Alberto Tiraferri and of the philosopher Leonardo Caffo, a Preamble of the Declaration was already drafted in nine different languages. Except for the Preamble, the Declaration will be formulated thanks to the crucial contribution of the community: using the dedicated section available on the website, it is possible to share any proposals on what rights should be granted to water!

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The objectives of this research are: (1) to improve access on safe and clean drinking water for the rural area, (2) to analyze water utility for every household, (3) to enhance women’s participation in water management, (4) to analyze women’s participation on water management system through operate water treatment system. The output of this research is developing a portable drinking water treatment system in the rural area, The study area of research was conducted in Sungai Rengas Village in West Borneo, Indonesia.

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Community-based organization of civil society, working for the construction of peace through environmental conservation, decarbonization against climate change and sustainable development. Aims to support different innovative projects, involving local communities in a meaningful way, to develop the Action Campaign for the Sustainable Development Goals.

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The Indonesian Green Action Forum (IGAF) is a national ecological platform which engages children, youths, and local communities to take actions for sustainable environment. This platform has engaged more than 3000 Indonesia people (children, youths, and local communities) for actualizing ecological initiatives into actions. This platform has executed more than 60 kinds of eco-projects financed by the United Nations agencies, and now is progressing on water and sanitation issues.

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The Water Youth Network (WYN) and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), with support from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), FM Global, and NASA, organised the Interdisciplinary Pressure Cooker Event on Risk Communication during the 2018 Understanding Risk Forum in Mexico City on May 14th and 15th, 2018. Thirty-five young professionals and researchers, representing 13 countries and a range of disciplines, came together at this event to address risk communication challenges in the Mexican municipalities of Iztapalapa in Mexico City and Dzilam de Bravo in Yucatán. The challenges were prepared collaboratively by the organisers, local-level stakeholders, Mexican-based researchers, and a team of mentors composed of different topic-specific specialists. The event aimed to build the capacity of these young professionals and researchers to work across disciplines and co-develop innovative risk communication solutions.

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We have worked on community approaches to survey the vast Argentine territory. Understanding each place, its culture, its language and work in an articulated way with local references to reach each corner. Providing solutions and tools to leave sustainable answers and transform the quality of life of entire communities. Today, together with Proyecto Agua Segura, we managed to materialize everything that I wanted so much, reaching more than 70,000 children in rural areas. Our interventions take place mostly in schools and community centers, where most of our direct beneficiaries are children from 3 to 12 years old. Also, women have strong participation in our educational exchanges learning new healthy habits and becoming active change agents in their families and communities.

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Small Island Developing States such as the British Virgin Islands face a challenge to secure sufficient fresh water supplies due to a limited number of fresh water sources, which are under increasing pressure due to climate change. By harnessing the infinite supply of resources from the sea, sun and earth, Elemental Water Makers developed an off-grid, solar-powered desalination solution that offers a sustainable and affordable drinking water supply for a private property on the British Virgin Islands. Where water quality was previously unreliable and quantity was irregular due to power outages, the property now produces water using 100% renewable energy (gravity and solar power) and adopts energy recovery principles, making it completely self-reliant. This desalination solution has lead to a cost reduction of 63% and prevents production of 25 tons of CO2 per year, all while producing 12.5 m3 of high-quality drinking water per day, both during the day and night time. Moreover, marine pollution is minimized as brine water discharge is only slightly more salty (6%) than the surrounding sea water, thereby mitigating ecological damage.

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Fresh water is a prerequisite for sustainable development anywhere across the globe, making it a fundamental challenge that deserves global attention. While certain regions are fortunate to enjoy considerable time before current freshwater resources become scarce, other geographies such as remote coastal regions and SIDS are on the verge of critical levels of freshwater scarcity, limiting viability of livelihoods, let alone sustainable (economic) development. For the population of La Union, Luzon in the Philippines, the above challenges were significantly mitigated due to an innovative, renewables driven, decentralized solar desalination solutions provided by Elemental Water Makers and a local partner. The rural population, previously dependent on unsustainable and expensive ($6/m3) water sources of questionable quality, are now able to access high-quality drinking water at highly market-competitive rate of (1.3$/m3) while also reducing CO2 emission by 43%, equivalent to savings 11 tons of CO2/year. Apart from mitigating the direct pressure on fresh water resources, additional benefits arose out of the fact local populace took ownership of a water kiosk. The water kiosk is a symbol for the newly gained economic and ecological resilience, which was acquired through independent economic exploitation of a water kiosk, offering opportunities related to economic development and consequently that of self-development, especially for women and children. Through close collaboration with a local partner organization, local ownership was fostered, project implementation was done according to local governance and compliances, access to local resources was facilitated and ultimately operation and management remains in hands of the local population. The above impacts have made the water kiosk project a success, provides evidence for the promise and potential of renewable decentralized desalination solutions for remote/rural communities and provides inspiration for future ‘glocal’ partnerships promoting freshwater resources.

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Gladden Island is one of the world's most private islands and is situated in the Caribbean. This private get-away implemented an efficient desalination solution based on reverse osmosis. This solution was installed to guarantee a fresh water supply in the dry periods during which the existing desalination and rain catchment systems proved insufficient. By integrating an innovative energy recovery device that re-uses the pressure remaining in the brine effluent of the reverse osmosis process, this fresh water solution produces 5 m3 fresh water per day while using only 17.5 kWh. As a result this water supply mitigates 10 tonnes of CO2/year in comparison to the former water solution.