24 April 2025 (Thursday) at 15:00-16:30 Hours (IST)

INTRODUCTION

Water, together with energy and food, are central to sustainable development as they are vital resources for socio-ecological and economic sustainability, healthy ecosystems, and improved livelihoods. The way the three resources are used and managed is central to either the aggravation of climate change or the enhancement of resilience and adaptation strategies. This is based on that the three serve as the link between the climate system, human society, and the environment nexus. As a result, water, energy, and food (WEF) have dedicated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the remaining 14 are all linked to the three goals.

However, as the second half of the 2030 Global Agenda on SDGs is underway, developments in the first half indicate an apparent disconnection between global aspirations and reality as there was no meaningful progress in meeting the set targets. By the halfway mark, only 15% of the SDG targets were on track and the rest showed stagnation or even reverse mode, an indicator of a stalemate among policy-makers amidst multiple crises. A combination of increasing population, urbanisation, the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), and changing consumption patterns further compounds the existing resource insecurity challenges, exerting pressure on an already depleted resource base. As the majority of the SDG targets are already off the mark, there is a need to adopt alternative pathways to accelerate efforts to achieve the desired outcomes within the set time frame.

The deteriorating insecurity of WEF resources, together with the slowness of humankind to take decisive measures, are derailing the ambition to achieve the 2030 Global Agenda. Furthermore, the SDGs face uncertainty from sector-based initiatives and linear approaches being applied, yet the targets are interconnected. The interconnectedness of the SDGs signifies that failure to achieve specific goals will cascade down causing the failure of the other goals. Therefore, the current stagnation in SDGs progress is mainly due to focusing on individual sectors, a system emanating from viewing the world from a linear perspective that believes that a single click on a keypad would get the economy and society back on track. However, focusing on selected SDGs without considering the interlinkages with the other goals generally results in undesired outcomes that include creating suboptimal efficiencies in those specific sectors at the expense of others.

Given the importance of WEF resources in achieving sustainability, this webinar provides pathways towards the sustainable and integrated management of the interlinked WEF sectors amidst climate change, increasing g demand, depletion, and degradation. The webinar highlights the interrelations and interconnectedness of SDGs and the need for an inclusive and integrated governance framework as pathways toward the realisation of the SDGs. The aim is to provide a detailed narrative of past and present WEF resource availability and accessibility using both quantitative and qualitative data to understand future availability and develop a framework to guide strategic decisions on integrated and sustainable resource management. The webinar will emphasise the significance of SDG data in providing sufficient information for the sustainable management and monitoring of WEF resources.

PRESENTATIONS

• Nexus Analysis of a Water Food Energy System for Sustainable Resources Management by Prof. Ming Che HU, CTCID, WG-WFE-N, Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University
• WEF-Nexus Decision Support System (DSS): A Tool for Catalysing SDGs by: Dr Alok Kumar Sikka, County Representative of IWMI India & Bangladesh, Senior Fellow
• Global Goals, Local Action: Advancing Community-Engaged, Evidence-Based Water-Energy-Food Systems Transformation by Dr. Bassel Daher, PhD, Assistant Director for Sustainable Development | Texas A&M Energy Institute, Research Fellow | Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy, Adjunct Assistant Professor | Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University
• Catalysing Sustainable Development Goals through the WEFE Nexus in Africa by Dr. Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi

Welcome Address by Dr. R.K. Gupta, Secretary General, ICID

Dr. R.K. Gupta has more than 38 years of extensive experience and specialization in Water Resources Management, Hydraulic Engineering, and River Basin Development. His expertise spans various areas like flood management, water cooperation, planning & design of water resources schemes, including Dam Safety Management. Additionally, he has significant experience in Hydropower Development, including the design and construction of tunnels and other underground works.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from Delhi College of Engineering, a Master of Technology in Applied Mechanics from IIT Delhi, and both an M.Sc. and PhD in Hydraulics from IHE, Netherlands. Dr. Gupta began his career at the Central Water Commission (CWC), a premier Indian government organization in the water sector, and eventually served as its Chairman, a position equivalent to the Secretary to the Government of India. His extensive experience and academic credentials have established him as a highly respected figure in the Indian water resources management domain.

Opening Remarks by President Hon. Prof. Dr. Ragab Ragab (UK)

Honorary President of The International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, ICID & Fellow Principal Hydrologist and Water Resources Management Specialist at UK Centre For Ecology & Hydrology, UKCEH, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.

President (2020-2023) of the International Commission on Irrigation & Drainage, ICID, Vice President (2010-2013) of the International Commission on Irrigation & Drainage, ICID, the Chairman of the Permanent Committee on Strategy and Organization, PCSO of ICID (2010-2014), Chairman of the Working Group on Water Food energy Nexus, ICID (present) and the Chairman of the British National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, ICID-UK (2007-2011), founder of the WG on the use of non-conventional water resources for irrigation, ICID. Adjunct Professor, Alexandria University, Egypt (2007-present). International Adviser to several national and international organizations. Lecturer, supervisor, and external examiner to various Universities in and outside the UK. Evaluator for several funding organizations and member of promotion panels of several Universities.

Recipient of several National and International Awards. Reviewer for more than 20 International. Author and Co-Author of numerous scientific papers and Editor and Co-Editor of several special issues of International Journals as well as Conference Proceedings. Member of the Editorial Boards of four scientific journals including the Cambridge University Journal of Agricultural Science. Developed two widely used models, SALTMED for field scale as a tool for integrated management of water, soils, crops and N- fertilizers and IHMS (Integrated Hydrological Modelling System) for catchment/basin scale. Both models are freely available to download from ICID web site at https://icid-ciid.org/inner_page/41 

Areas of work include, Hydrology, Irrigation and Drainage, remote sensing applications, urban hydrology, climate change impact on water resources, uncertainty analysis of predicted river flows, modelling at field and catchment scales, human intervention impact on water resources, management of non-conventional water resources at field and catchment scales, Water-Food-Energy Nexus, Crop Irrigation Water Requirement determination, Water Saving technologies and Water Harvesting at different scales.

Introduction and purpose by Dr. Luxon Nhamo (South Africa)

Dr Luxon Nhamo is a Research Manager with the Water Research Commission of South Africa (WRC), specialising in agricultural water management and transformative and circular approaches for sustainable climate change adaption. Formerly with the International Water Management Institute (IWM), Dr Nhamo is also an Honorary Researcher with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in South Africa. Dr Nhamo prides himself on working with and transforming the livelihoods of vulnerable smallholder farmers in marginalised areas. He has more than 22 years of progressive research experience spanning three continents (South America, Europe, and Southern Africa). He has published over ninety internationally peer-reviewed research articles and has been a keynote speaker at various science fora. His research interests include agricultural water management (AWM), the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, transformative and circular approaches, Environmental GIS and Remote Sensing and climate change adaptation.

SPEAKERS

Prof. Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi, LSHTM, UK 

Professor Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi is a globally recognised researcher, boundary spanner, and science advocate specialising in complex water, energy, food, and environmental systems. He works at the intersection of science, policy, and society, demonstrating a strong track record in scientific leadership, capacity building, and fostering partnerships to maximise the outcomes and impact of research, development, and innovation. His overarching goal is to conduct research and development that informs policy, promotes equality, and drives transformation in Africa and beyond. 

He is a Professor of Climate Change, Food Systems, and Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Director of the Institute for Natural Resources (NPC) in South Africa. He also leads the Water, Energy, Food, and Environment (WEFE) Nexus program at the United Nations University – Institute for Water Environment and Health. His prior experience includes leading the Research Group for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems at the International Water Management Institute and directing the Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems at UKZN. He holds strategic positions on various advisory committees and panels and is an editor for several high-impact journals. 

Prof. Dr. Ming-Che HU, National Taiwan University, Taiwan

Prof. Dr. Ming-Che HU is a Professor in the Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering at National Taiwan University, Taiwan. He earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 2008 and has been at National Taiwan University since 2010. During his tenure, he has led numerous research initiatives in water resources management, hydrological data analysis, energy system modeling, water-food-energy nexus, and policy simulation. His contributions include developing advanced models and software that leverage optimization, risk analysis, machine learning, and economic analysis for water and energy system evaluation and environmental planning. Additionally, Dr. HU serves as a reviewer, guest editor, and editorial board member for several prestigious peer-reviewed journals. His extensive publications span the fields of water resources, energy systems, disaster management, and environmental data analysis. He also serves as the secretary of WG-WFE-N and as a member of WG-LDRG, WG-AFM, and WG-MWSCD within The ICID.

Dr. Bassel Daher, Texas A&M University

Dr. Bassel Daher is the Assistant Director for Sustainable Development at Texas A&M Energy Institute, an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Biological & Agricultural Engineering, and a Research Fellow at the Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Texas A&M University. Since March 2025, Daher also serves as Fellow at the Microsoft AI Economy Institute.

With over 13 years of experience, Dr. Daher focuses on systems approaches to address the complex and interconnected global challenges of food system transformation, energy transition, integrated water management, disaster risk reduction, planetary health, and climate action. His work promotes evidence-based, collective action among cross-sectoral stakeholders to advance sustainable, equitable, and resource-secure futures. 

Daher combines expertise in research, education, network-building, and community engagement, with demonstrated success in fundraising and program execution—contributing to securing $8 M  from various federal and international funding agencies. Daher has published extensively, with over 70 highly cited articles, book chapters, and reports covering case studies from regions such as the United States, Northern Central America, Lebanon, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, Morocco, and Bangladesh. He is a frequent speaker at prominent academic, governmental, and industry conferences and forums demonstrated by 100+ invited talks in over 25 countries —including a TEDx Talk advocating for collective action toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Daher has held research positions at Texas A&M University, Purdue University, and Qatar Foundation, and consulted for international organizations including FAO, UNESCWA, UNDRR, IWMI, GIZ, and the Union for the Mediterranean on topics related to sustainable resource management, water-energy-food-environment nexus governance, regional network building, climate-smart agriculture innovations, capacity building and youth engagement. 

Daher’s achievements include being recognized with the Biological & Agricultural Engineering Departmental Excellence Award for Outstanding Research in 2019 and receiving the 50th Anniversary Special Award from the International Water Resources Association in 2022. Dr. Daher has served on the Executive Board of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) since 2022 and co-chaired the Zero Hunger Pathways Project of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) from 2020 to 2023. Daher holds a PhD in Water Management from Texas A&M University, an MS in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue University, and a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from the American University of Beirut.

Dr. Alok Sikka, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Dr Alok K. Sikka is with International Water Management Institute, Delhi Office as IWMI Representative-India & Bangladesh since April, 2016. Prior to joining IWMI, he served as Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Technical Expert (Watershed Development) (in the rank of Additional Secretary to Govt. of India), National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi. He was Director of ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna and Basin Coordinator for Indo-Gangetic Basin under the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food from 2002-2007. He is Ph. D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with specialization in Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering from Utah State University, Logan, Utah. Besides working with ICAR for many years at Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Dehradun and its Research Centres, he was with National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee; visiting Professor at University of Arizona, Tucson; and Faculty at the Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA. He has more than 251 publications and is recipient of many national awards including Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Also, served as Chairman of Task Force Bureau of Water Use Efficiency, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Govt of India to develop road map and framework for increasing water use efficiency in irrigation, industry, urban, energy sectors.

He has a rich and diverse experience of over 44 years in research, institutional and policy issues, teaching, training, extension and consultancy in the areas of natural resource management, soil & water conservation, watershed management, water harvesting, hydrologic modelling, water management, drought management, climate change, water productivity and farming systems.