ICOMOS at the 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum

ISC Water’s Global Strategy for Water Heritage, Climate Action and Policy Integration

Accepting the invitation of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals’ Department for Economic and Social Affairs, Ms. Hunter delivered an address from the podium on behalf of ICOMOS, ISC Water and the Sustainable Development Goals Working Group (SDGWG), in collaboration with Henk van Schaik (ISC Water Bureau) and Dr. Naima Benkari (SDGWG Focal Point). ISC Water is dedicated to the research, protection and promotion of water-related heritage. The Committee encourages sustainable and equitable responses to global water needs for today and tomorrow. ISC Water’s seeks to:

1. Launch an international Water Heritage and Culture Platform at the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi;
2. Develop assessment methodologies, best-practice management and design process, responding to traditional wisdom, to inform climate-change mitigation and adaptation, and improve current and future water management and planning; and
3. Strengthen the role of water-related heritage in policy-making and education. The SDGWG coordinates ICOMOS’ response to the UN 2030 Agenda and promotes cultural, social and economic development for communities, while limiting environmental impacts on heritage, promoting peace and advocating for strategic partnerships.

ICOMOS ISC Water’s 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum Address

Ms. Hunter’s address, entitled “Water Related Heritage = Living Assets Essential to Achieving SDG 6,” called for the re-assessment of traditional water systems as mission critical for meeting SDG6 targets. Additionally, she addressed the expansion the UN’s Valuing Water concept to encompass water-related heritage, supply and management as significant for water security and water safety. Finally, she noted that the Global Commission on the Economics of Water’s inaugural report affirmed the relevance of restoring traditional water systems to mitigate both water and climate change crises. Ms. Hunter highlighted inspiring examples from South America and the Middle East, such as:

• the National Superintendence of Sanitation Services’ (SUNASS) $7m Peruvian soles investment in rehabilitating abandoned pre-Incan canals that increased Lima’s water supply by at least 1 m3/s;
• the joint partnership of UN Development Programme and Hyundai’s For Tomorrow Initiative to rehabilitate ancestral terraces and irrigation canals in the Peruvian Andes to build capacity, increase crop production and improve the resilience and livelihoods of local farmers; and
• Oman’s aflaj systems that continue to provide 30-50% of the country’s water supply.

Strengthening Local Stewardship and Traditional Water Knowledge Through Inclusive Community Engagement

In this “year of water,” SDG 6 Panel Chair Neil Dev Patel sagely observed that, “There is no shortage of commitments, but a gap between commitment and implementation… as we enter the final five years before 2030, the challenge is to leverage resources more effectively and build the capacities needed for lasting impact. Let’s close the gap between ambition and action.” Panelist Ian Hoyt (UN CEO Water Mandate) urged that “no options be left on the table” in the implementation of SDG 6 commitments.

Ms. Hunter expressed the willingness of ICOMOS, through its ISC Water and SDGWG, to assist in convening partnerships connecting stewards of place-based knowledge with municipalities and water-managers to reduce fragmentation and accelerate delivery. She also expressed ICOMOS’ willingness to support the UN Agenda 2030 and SDG6 implementation by strengthening locally-rooted capacity and stewardship, and mobilizing traditional water knowledge that can work alongside modern solutions and also engage women, girls and youth. Following the panel, ECOSOC leadership expressed a keen interest in exploring collaborations for the 2026 High Level Political Forum SDG 6 review and the UN Water Conference, as well as other UN work on water.