Advancing Scientific Solutions for Water Scarcity, Ecosystems and Climate Resilience
HR2W co-hosted this side event in order to bring together voices from research, utilities, and industry to discuss how scientific and technical innovation can address water scarcity through ecosystem-based and climate-resilient approaches. Speakers explored how evidence, infrastructure, financing, and community engagement need to move together for innovation to actually take hold.
Key Takeaways from the session
Human and Social Capital — Graham Jewitt (Rector, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education)
Graham Jewitt opened the session by framing human and social capital as integral to water innovation, not a side consideration. Progress isn’t only about infrastructure — it’s equally about advancing the social systems around that infrastructure. Graham also reminded the room that natural ecosystems are themselves water infrastructure — healthy soils, wetlands, rivers, aquifers, forests, and catchments store water and regulate flows just as grey infrastructure does. He additionally noted that scaling new investment requires skills, meaning organizations need people capable of putting forward genuinely innovative proposals.
Innovation in Practice — David Maisonneuve (NRW Product Owner, Veolia)
David Maisonneuve continued the event by presenting how innovation can look in practice, walking through the different approaches Veolia takes to research and application. He outlined four types of innovation — technical, digital, financial, and contractual — and was careful to highlight that innovation isn’t one big device, but a range of tools (for example, smart meters that detect leaks and support long-term water distribution management). He also noted that financing and contractual approaches need to work together first, since digital and technical innovation only follow once that foundation is in place.
David also addressed AI directly: it’s impossible to ignore its usefulness today, but Veolia remains deliberately cautious about how it’s applied. Optimisation goes hand-in-hand with innovation — the goal is to plan ahead and replace infrastructure before it fails, not after. This points to a broader paradigm shift he called for: moving from short-term projects toward long-term transformative action, including building capacity within projects rather than treating them as one-off interventions. As he put it, innovation should be used intelligently, not as a replacement for human expertise.
Water Security Strategies in Colombia — Natasha Avendaño García (CEO, Bogotá Aqueduct and Sewerage Company)
Natasha spoke about collaboration on drought response and Colombia’s broader water security strategy, highlighting:
- Predicting high-uncertainty scenarios and planning investment around them.
- Information-based planning as a foundation for resilience.
- Loss management — an integrated plan combining technology, management, and supply integration to drive down water loss.
Natasha’s example of Bogotá’s water security strategy was highlighted as a powerful illustration of a broader point — that protecting water at the source can be more effective, more resilient, and deliver more co-benefits than trying to solve every problem downstream through engineering alone.
Water-Oriented Living Labs — Andrea Rubini (Director of Operations, Water Europe)
Innovation moves faster when evidence, decisions, operations, and demand evolve together. He introduced Water-Oriented Living Labs (WOLLs) as a model for this — territories where public institutions, researchers, and civil society collaborate to scale up innovation. He connected this to the Water4All network, which links scientific innovation with policy and activist communities in pursuit of sustainable, resilient, and durable solutions. The living labs model is designed to be user-friendly and grounded in real territories rather than abstract pilots.
Andrea’s call for a common agreement on what actually constitutes “the water challenge” was flagged as central to Water4All’s mission — funding excellent research is not enough on its own; the results also need to be tested, demonstrated, and put into the hands of the people making decisions on the ground, which is precisely the role the Living Labs are meant to play.
The session then moved into an interactive Q&A with the speakers and audience members, supported by a Mentimeter poll led by Andrés Felipe Sánchez Peña and Delfina Iervolino (Organization of American States), which explored the different challenges and existing initiatives around innovation and nature-based solutions.
Closing Reflections — Benjamin Lopez (CEO, Water4All Partnership)
Benjamin closed the session by drawing three key messages out of the discussion:
- Science alone isn’t enough. Promising solutions to water scarcity already exist — better monitoring, more efficient use, circular approaches, nature-based solutions. The real barriers to scaling them are institutional, regulatory, financial, and cultural, not purely technological.
- Move beyond nature vs. infrastructure. Water resilience needs both. Grey infrastructure remains essential, but natural ecosystems are infrastructure too — and science needs to build the evidence base (on performance, cost, and resilience) that decision-makers and investors actually need.
- The next decade is about integration and financing at scale. Water scarcity connects climate, biodiversity, agriculture, cities, health, and the economy — which means bringing together scientific communities, utilities, regulators, businesses, and citizens, and solving how to de-risk investment for the private sector.
He framed Water4All’s next phase around strengthening the link between research, demonstration, and uptake — leaning further into Living Labs, involving end-users earlier, and channeling insights from sessions like this one into future calls and into the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi. His closing line: the water crisis isn’t caused by a lack of knowledge alone — the challenge is organizing science, policy, investment, and implementation so existing knowledge can generate impact at the scale and speed now required.
Speakers
Voices from across the water sector joining our sessions. Tap a name to read their full bio.
David Maisonneuve
NRW Product Owner, Veolia
David Maisonneuve is a senior water engineer with 10 years of field experience in China and India on drinking water network operations and technical assistance, now based at Veolia’s Paris headquarters. He serves as Direction Support Métier et Performance, supporting global drinking water network operations on performance, risk management, and development, while acting as Product Owner for a priority technical issue within the Business Support and Performance division.
Graham Jewitt
Rector, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
Graham Jewitt is Interim Rector of IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, having joined as Professor of Hydrology in 2019 before serving as Vice Rector and Academic Director. Previously Director of the Centre for Water Resources Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, his work focuses on hydrology, water resources management, and nature-based solutions.
Andrea Rubini
Director of Operations, Water Europe
Andrea Rubini is Director of Operations at Water Europe, a former UN officer with 40 years of international experience in water resources engineering, energy and climate change. His career spans European water policy, research and innovation, and international cooperation. At Water Europe, he is responsible for the Collaboration and Implementation Programmes and leads Pillar D of the Water4All Partnership, focusing on the demonstration and market uptake of innovations through the Water-Oriented Living Labs (WOLLs). He also coordinates the ZeroPollution4Water Cluster and represents Water Europe in European research and innovation initiatives, including A.SPIRE/Processes4Planet.
Natasha Avendaño García
CEO, Bogotá Aqueduct and Sewerage Company
Natasha Avendaño is an economist from Universidad de los Andes with master’s degrees in Public Policy (UC Berkeley), Economics (Universidad de los Andes), and International Taxation, Foreign Trade, and Customs (Universidad Externado), as well as a Ph.D. in Public Policy from UC Berkeley. She has held senior leadership roles in DIAN, the Ministry of Finance, and CREG, served as Superintendent of Public Utilities, and since 2024 has been CEO of Bogotá’s Water and Sewerage Company (EAAB).
Delfina Iervolino
Consultant, Department of Sustainable Development, OAS
Delfina Iervolino is a project officer in the Department of Sustainable Development at the Organization of American States (OAS), where she works on strategic planning, policy, and diplomacy for the Americas Water Program, which supports OAS Member States in managing their shared ecosystems and water resources. She previously worked as a Consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank, focusing on environmental infrastructure projects, and holds a degree from the University of Buenos Aires along with graduate studies from FLACSO. She is also a member of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network.
Benjamin Lopez
CEO, Water4All Partnership
Benjamin is CEO of the Water4All Partnership at ANR (Agence nationale de la recherche), an experienced research project manager and hydrogeologist with a strong track record leading multidisciplinary teams and securing international funding. He brings deep expertise in groundwater hydrology and water quality, with a focus on driving innovation and collaboration to advance Sustainable Development Goal 6. Prior to this role, he spent 17 years at BRGM, including as Directeur Régional Ile-de-France and as Scientific Correspondent for Water within the Development Directorate. He holds a PhD in Hydrogeology and Environmental Sciences from Université de Bordeaux.
Amanda Loeffen
CEO, Human Right 2 Water · Vice-Chair, Water4All Governing Board
Amanda Loeffen works at the intersection of human rights, water governance, and innovation, turning global commitments into real-world impact. She is CEO of Human Right 2 Water, advancing rights-based, gender-responsive approaches to water governance, and serves as Vice-Chair of Water4All’s Governing Board.
Andrés Felipe Sánchez Peña
Manager, Americas Water Program, OAS
Andrés Felipe Sánchez Peña is Manager of the Americas Water Program at the Organization of American States (OAS), where he leads regional initiatives advancing water security, sustainable development, and transboundary water cooperation across the Americas. With over 15 years at the OAS, he has worked with governments, multilateral institutions, and partners including the World Bank, CAF, IDB, and GEF on water governance, strategic investment, and policy development across Latin America and the Caribbean. He previously served as Sustainable Development Specialist and Project Coordinator within the OAS Water Program, building the water portfolio from the ground up. He holds a Master’s in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Law in Transboundary Ecosystems Financing at the Universidad de Zaragoza.
