UN World Water Day

We are pleased that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Special Envoy for Climate and Security, Hans Olav Ibrekk, will be delivering a speech at UN World Water Day 2026. Our thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Ambassador Eivind S. Homme for prioritizing FTU and UN World Water Day.

We would also like to thank the Ministry of Culture and Equality for ensuring that State Secretary Erlend Hanstveit will open UN World Water Day.

The theme of UN World Water Day 2026 is Equality and Water. Speakers on professional and technological solutions will come from UN Women, Red Cross, the Centre for Global Sustainability at the University of Oslo, Oslo Centre for Environmental Humanities, Norad, Unicef, UNDP and Norwegian Church Aid.

We thank our co-organizers Norwegian Water Association (Norsk Vannforening) and Norwegian Hydrological Council (Norsk Hydrologiråd).

Speakers:
Erlend Hanstveit, State Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Equality
Hans Olav Ibrekk, Special Envoy for Climate and Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Bindu Bhandari, UN Women, Nairobi
Iker Montes-Burgos, Red Cross, Global/Oslo
TBA, from Norwegian Church Aid
TBA, from Oslo Centre for Environmental Humanities at UiO
TBA, from UNDP
TBA, from UNICEF
TBA, from Norad

Join us at our new premises at Asplan Viak, Kongens gate 1, on Thursday 19 March, 11:00–13:00. Light refreshments will be served from 10:30. Registration takes place here on Meetup or by email to “post (at) FTU.no”.

We will also award the Norwegian Junior Water Prize to the winners from Norwegian schools, during the UN World Water Day.

Link with an alternative registration to watching the online streaming of the seminar will be announced later here.

We welcome Vipps contributions from those who wish to sponsor professional streaming of the seminar and refreshments.