Political forum

Political Forum

Monday, 12th October 2026, morning

Opening the 26th ICID World Congress, the International Forum on Agricultural Water Policies will address the key question: How public water policies can help agriculture meet the climate challenge?

Organized by Eau, Agriculture et Territoires (EAT) – the French National Committee of ICID –the Forum will highlight how nations can adapt agricultural water management to climate change.

The Forum aims to share experiences, successes, and challenges from different countries and regions, with the goal of producing a reference document of scientific and operational value, contributing to ongoing international discussions such as the World Water Forum, COP30 on climate change, and the United Nations Water Conference.

Target speakers include the President of the World Water Council, Mr. Loïc Fauchon, a number of ministers responsible for agricultural water (Spain, France, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Egypt,China, etc.), the European Commissioner in charge of water or agriculture, a representative of  the Conference of the Parties, the President of French Regions and President of the Southern Region “Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur” Mr. Renaud Muselier, senior representatives of financial institutions and international cooperation organizations (President of the French Development Agency, Word Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, FAO, etc.), and other influential figures.

The Forum will consist of two hours of short presentations followed by a half-hour round-table discussion with questions from the floor. As the opening session of the Congress, it will introduce and frame the key issues that will guide the discussions throughout the event.

The ICID 2026 International Political Forum will embody the convergence of the Sustainable Development Goals – SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships). It will serve as an intermediate milestone between COP30 and the United Nations Water Conference, on the road to the 2027 World Water Forum and UNCCD 2027.

Through COSTEA, its scientific and technical committee for agricultural water, and in collaboration with ministries in nine partner countries, EAT connects local expertise, continental debates, global platforms, and multilateral diplomacy, contributing to the development of resilient and sustainable agricultural water policies worldwide.