For people living in countries already bearing the brunt of climate change, where extreme weather patterns are already destroying lives and livelihoods, services that can withstand the effects of flooding, droughts & cyclones are needed, now. Ninety percent of all natural disasters are water-related, and The World Health Organisation and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have identified water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as central to climate adaptation in the near term.

Alongside international NGO WaterAid and special guests, we will be coming together to discuss water, climate and the vital role that vulnerable communities themselves play in accelerating adaptation.

We will hear from sector experts, and WaterAid’s global storytellers who will be sharing what they have heard and witnessed from people living with the impacts of climate change right now. We will ask the critical questions – what challenges are communities facing? What can we learn from communities? What are WaterAid and other organisations doing? What must world leaders do next?

Speakers: 

Claire Seaward is the Global Campaigns Director – WaterAid UK. Claire has over 20 years of experience in the development sector, campaigning for the realization of human rights and creating positive social change for disadvantaged communities. At WaterAid, Claire heads up their campaigns department, where she has played a lead role in their global water and climate campaign and has reshaped the organization’s approach to advocacy.

Frehiwot Gebrewold is a Communications Specialist  at WaterAid Ethiopia. Frehiwot is a storyteller and communications expert. With a background in documentary film production and journalism, she works closely with communities that WaterAid is reaching to empower them to tell their own stories with dignity, driven by a commitment to ethical and authentic representation. Based in Ethiopia, Frehiwot collects films, photos and stories, helping to build connections and understanding between WaterAid’s stakeholders and the communities they work with.

Dr Sharon Fitzgerald is a senior partner at DLA Piper with particular experience advising public and private sector clients on major infrastructure projects, PPP projects and a range of complex commercial contracts across a variety of sectors. Sharon has advised the governments of Afghanistan, the UK, Scotland, Wales, Timor-Leste, North Macedonia, Ghana and Zimbabwe, various other regulated entities, and private sector clients operating in a multijurisdictional environment who are contracting with governments and regulated entities. She has advised on Government reform and institutional State building, including drafting primary and secondary legislation (together with guidance and template documentation) across a range of topics.

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