2013•12•04     Dresden

On 11 November 2013 the United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES) and the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) co-convened the International Kick-off Workshop on Advancing a Nexus Approach to the Sustainable Management of Water, Soil and Waste. By bringing together more than 80 experts from national and international academia, government entities, UN agencies and UNU institutes, the workshop acted as a preliminary “steering committee” for the organization of the Dresden Nexus Conference to be held in March 2015.

The workshop provided an update on current research initiatives exploring the nexus of water, soil and waste as well as institutional capacity development, education and training. Discussions and examples of case study research, best practices and curriculum requirements provided up-to-date overviews on topics including:

1. Opportunities for adopting a nexus approach to the management of environmental resources and its relevance to the Sustainable Development Goals and the post-2015 development agenda
2. Challenges for the nexus approach in managing water, soil and waste under conditions of global change
3. Capacity development for research and education programmes addressing the nexus, in particular teaching and training programmes
4. Institutional arrangements and governance structures to facilitate the implementation of a nexus approach and its integration in land use planning and management strategies

The workshop also provided inputs to the White Book on the Nexus of Soil, Water and Waste, which will be finalized in early 2014 (the draft version is available on the UNU-FLORES website). The issues covered in the White Book will serve as a reference for future developments (e.g., defining research and teaching programs in collaboration with partners) and as a road map for research, action and the 2015 Nexus Conference.

Visit the UNU-FLORES website to read a summary report of the Kick-off Workshop.