Two days later on March 24, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto shined a light on water in Indigenous and Muslim traditions with a panel discussion on , presented by the UNITAR Global Water Academy and York.

“Some 2.5 billion people live in water stressed countries where the supply cannot meet the demand, while 46 per cent of the world's population lacks adequate sanitation services. Access to safe drinking water is inequitable and puts the safety of women and marginalized groups at risk,” says York Research Chair in Global Change Biology Professor , inaugural director of the UGWA and a freshwater expert in the Faculty of Science. “Conflict, changes in land use and climate change are exacerbating water insecurity in urban, rural and agricultural areas. These are global issues that continue to worsen.”

York has a deep well of expertise in water research and action and along with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Global Water Academy (UGWA) will help develop scientific-based and governance solutions and applications to address water issues in some of the most underserved areas and for those most affected by climate change, flooding, and drought.

“Water is strongly linked to political instability and economic inequality, and as both a leader in sustainability as well as a progressive teaching and research institution, it is our responsibility to take action on this critical issue,” says Rhonda Lenton, York’s president and vice-chancellor. “Our thriving partnership with UNITAR to create a first-of-its-kind Global Water Academy is one example of how collaboration across sectors and borders can drive positive change for our global communities.”

With UGWA, York is advancing much needed scholarship and virtual and hybrid learning developed by global leaders in water research, resource management and policy development. The courses will be for all relevant parties, including researchers, governments, and the public on everything water from how to mitigate water shortages caused by climate change to making drinking water cleaner and more accessible.

“The collaboration with �첥��Ƶ to create the Global Water Academy recognizes its vision and leadership to become Canada’s leader in research into water technologies spanning different sub disciplines including wastewater, drinking water, groundwater and surface water research. Together, we are developing solutions to the world’s water issues,” says Nikhil Seth, UN assistant secretary general and executive director of UNITAR.

One of the goals is to empower learners everywhere to respond to water crises and to help achieve the UN SDG 6 – support capacity building of sustainable management of water especially for Indigenous communities and marginalized/equity-deserving groups.

An essential part of UGWA’s work is building a global network of water experts, scientists, and policymakers, and reaching out to local people in some of the hardest hit regions to learn about their specific water challenges to help address them through training and education. Building a space where people can connect, form partnerships and collaborate is essential.

Some places are going to be warmer and drier; others will become wetter and cooler. There is not one solution that can be applied across the world and that is why the network is so important. In their first year, the network has grown exponentially. Their most recent virtual panel at the United Nations in New York City attracted hundreds of people from 90 countries.

“For countries severely impacted by climate change and conflict, the lack of clean water can be life threatening,” says Sharma, who studies how lakes worldwide respond to climate change, including rapid ice loss, warming water temperatures, degrading water quality, and changing fish distributions. “Clean and safely managed water offers a way out of these crises. It’s why we must work together to advance goal six of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals – ensuring access to water and sanitation for all.”

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“In a single drop of water, there are universes, microworlds animated by tiny animals,” says Manning, an assistant professor in philosophy and cultural studies at Queen’s and a member of Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation. “Our project’s philosophy stems from my theory of Mnidoo-worlding, a way of being from Ojibwe Anishinaabe knowledge, that sees human relations to niibii (water) as interrelated with spirit, potency, potential, process and energy, not human-centric, and more than a mere resource to extract.”

Titled Emerging from the Water, the project has been exhibited in multiple mediums at various venues, including at the United Nations 2023 Water Conference (in front of dignitaries from across the globe) and more recently at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, as part of a 2024 World Water Day event co-hosted by the UNITAR Global Water Academy and �첥��Ƶ.

Bunch and Manning hope the project will spark critical conversations about the power of Indigenous thought and knowledge, environmental stewardship, and our collective responsibility to water. They are particularly interested in presenting the work to youth in the future.

“As a non-Indigenous scholar, the project has made me think about the emergence of modern technology and how the microscope gave the West and the world another view of reality invisible to the naked eye. But Indigenous cultures already accounted for that,” says Bunch, an associate professor in the Department of Cinema and Media Arts in the School of Art, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD) and Canada Research Chair in Vision, Disability and the Arts. Bunch is also a member of Connected Minds, a major York-led research initiative on socially responsible technologies.

Bunch continues: “What if that conversation between Western cultures and Indigenous cultures, instead of it being dominating and subjugating, had been a real conversation 500 years ago. Our sciences could have come together then, rather than more recently. More equitable relations have the potential to positively alter how we think and live. It could help to protect the environment and help improve the global water crisis.”

Emerging from the Water marks Bunch and Manning’s first research collaboration together. Funding for the project was provided by MITACS, the Native Women in the Arts, VISTA – Vision: Science to Applications (York’s first Canada First Research Excellence Fund program), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Media Arts program at York.

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The research highlights that between 2019 and 2020, Brazil saw a slight increase in sewage collection, from 74.5 per cent to 75.7 per cent. According to the study, a significant portion of the population, 47.6 per cent, still lacked sewage collection services, and only 55.8 per cent were connected to the sewage network. This is in sharp contrast to Ontario, where efforts towards improving sanitation infrastructure have been much more consistent and effective.

Klaus’s work emphasizes the urgent need for informed policies and investments in Brazilian sanitation infrastructure. It illustrates that more than half of the municipalities in Santa Catarina, Brazil, lack sewage services, and many still need plans to meet the sanitation universalization goal set by the legal framework.

This research serves as a call to action for Brazil to collaborate with Canada to exchange best practices to enhance quality of life and environmental sustainability through improved sanitation services.

This study has garnered attention and praise from the Ministry of Cities ombudsman in Brazil and Canada’s minister of environment, who acknowledged its alignment with Canada’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

With support from the Santa Catarina Research & Innovation Support Foundation (FAPESC) in Brazil, Klaus, who holds a master’s degree in development and society from UNIARP, focuses his research on the intersection between sanitation, law and sustainable development.

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