Even in 21st century, there are hundreds of millions of people in the world who don’t have access to clean, fresh water for survival. For many, who have access to this basic necessity, there are threats of aging infrastructure, politics and climate change.
To address these issues, the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hills is organizing its annual conference entitled “Water and Health: Where Science Meets Policy”. The Conference, convened by Water Institute at UNC and the UNC Institute for the Environment, will be held from October 3 – 7, 2011 and attended by hundreds of the world’s leading water, sanitation and hygiene experts. The event will take place at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education.
Presenters and attendees will examine water-related issues in six areas:
- Freshwater availability and climate change adaptation;
- Human rights and ethics as related to water;
- Water, sanitation and hygiene in peri-urban areas (on the fringes of urban areas);
- Hygiene behaviors and household water treatment;
- Small-community water, sanitation and hygiene; and
- Water challenges facing North Carolina and the Southeastern U.S.
The event will highlight research, education and public outreach, both during the conference and at workshops before and after it.
“Solutions to these urgent problems can be found and implemented more quickly if experts from diverse locations and disciplines share ideas and information,” said conference co-chairs Jamie Bartram and Lawrence E. Band, both of UNC.
Participants already registered come from nearly 50 countries, including Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Palestine, Philippines, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Attendees represent diverse organizations such as the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CARE, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Procter & Gamble, Samaritan’s Purse, Save the Children, The World Bank and others.
Registration is $225 for students and $450 for the public. Workshop-only registrations are available for $175.
Keynote speakers include:
- Catarina de Albuquerque, special rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, United Nations
- Frank Rijsberman, director, global development program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Jaehyang So, program manager, water and sanitation program, The World Bank
- Charles J. Vörösmarty, director, City University of New York environmental crossroads initiative, professor and distinguished scientist with the City University-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s cooperative remote sensing science and technology center
- Jeff Chapin, senior designer, IDEO
- Ellen Gilinsky, senior policy adviser, office of water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
More information at this link.
