Global challenges in water access, developing governance solutions, and applications for alleviating water scarcity

The impacts of global environmental degradation on freshwater security are felt by communities around the world, limiting the availability, equitable access, and quality of freshwater supplies. These impacts are exacerbated by underlying social inequities and environmental stressors, including the increasing number and intensity of disastrous extreme weather events attributed toclimate change.

This panel aims to highlight some of the key challenges that water insecurity poses to communities around the globe, including contextualizing challenges in water access in communities across Kenya, in addition to Indigenous communities.

Disproportionately, women and girls face additional threats of violence without safe access to drinking water and sanitation in their homes. Moreover, we offer water governance solutions to improve universal access to freshwater. Our aim is to highlight specific challenges to water access and subsequently identifies strategies for water management and governance to improve universal access to clean water and sanitation.