The IDG Water Network participated in the ’13th Systemic Innovation Workshop’, organized by the United Nations Climate Change Global Innovation Hub in Bonn. The event brought together global experts, policymakers, city and county leaders, researchers, financial institutions, and solution providers to co-design transformative, climate-resilient futures for both urban and rural communities.

Klaus Mertens and Prof. Michael Bach presented the developed concept note for ‘Water Innovation Projects‘ which seeks to bridge top-down approaches (international frameworks for transboundary water cooperation) and bottom-up approaches (inner transformation from individuals to communities and societies).

The participants unanimously recognized the fundamental importance of water for the future of humankind, providing a natural basis for the exchange of ideas, visions, and networking.

A group work session explored how to foster the systemic change required. Education was identified as a key driver. All education experts agreed on one crucial point: education must take place in the very nature we seek to protect.

Let’s move from the lecture hall to the river shore!