As a starting point, the event will feature the findings from Chatham House research on water use in three priority sectors—food and agriculture, textiles, and metals and mining for technology.

Discussions will explore the knowledge gaps and pathways for trade and environmental stakeholders to reduce water-related risks.

They will focus on:

• The interaction between trade and water, notable risks that changes in the hydrological cycle and increased competition for water in regions of production pose for supply chains
• Current measures guiding choices in production and trade, and available options from both exporter and importer perspectives
• Opportunities for trade and trade cooperation in playing a constructive role in managing fresh water fairly and sustainably and avenues for joint work at the bilateral and multinational levels

14:30–14:35 Welcome, Introductions, and Aims of This Roundtable

Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Executive Director and Founder, Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS), Geneva Graduate Institute

Glada Lahn, Senior Research Fellow, Environment and Society Centre, Chatham House

14:35–14:50 Opportunities for Cooperation on Trade & Trade Policies To Reduce Water Related Risks and Promote Sustainable and Equitable Water Management

• Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Honorary Professor, University of Geneva (TBC)
• Yuvan Beejadhur, Senior Advisor to the Director General, World Trade Organization (TBC)
• Anna Dupont, Research and Policy Consultant, Global Commission on the Economics of Water, IWMI: Trading in a changing hydrological cycle

14:50–15:30 Initial Findings on Water Impacts in Three Critical Sectors

Experts from the Environment and Society Centre, Chatham House

• Richard King, Senior Research Fellow: Food and agriculture
• Phesheya Nxumalo, Research Associate: Metals and mining
• Bhargabi Bharadwaj, Research Associate: Textiles

15:30–15:55 Group Discussion

Moderator: Glada Lahn

Sector-specific challenges and opportunities

In the current geopolitical climate, where trade-related opportunities exist to raise business standards and avoid a race to the bottom in terms of industry practice in producing regions?

• How can governments and multilateral trade agencies leverage data on water footprints to inform trade policy decisions and regulatory frameworks?
• How might the prolonged impacts of climate change, particularly in water resources, affect the resilience and stability of global supply chains in water-intensive sectors? What role can trade policy play in mitigating these risks?
• What actions at the bilateral/multilateral level help promote adequate valuation/regulation of water at the local/country level for centres of production?
• Is it worth devoting more attention to the consumer level–labelling etc?

Are there compelling trade-related case studies or success stories that could be showcased to illustrate effective water-trade linkages?

15:55–16:00 Closing and Next Steps

Glada Lahn

The Fair Water Footprints partnership aims to harness the collective power and reach of governments, businesses, finance, and civil society to transform the use of water within our globalized supply chains. It will do this by putting water at the heart of trade, purchasing, and investment decisions that connect the global North and South so that our water footprints drive a more just and resilient future of zero pollution, sustainable water withdrawals, universal access to safe water supply and sanitation, nature-based solutions, and effective drought and flood management. As part of this partnership, Chatham House is leading on analysis and convening to explore pathways to change in multilateral and public governance to enable Fair Water Footprints.