Back to the French national workshop co-organized by Water4All and the French national program OneWater on March 13rd.

Ms Claire Giry, President of ANR (the French national research agency), opened the meeting and welcomed participants. During her speech, she stressed that “ the water challenge is enormous; the figure published in 2024 by the magazine Science testifies it: 4.4 billion people, more than half worldwide population, do not have access to good quality freshwater”. She added that France is fully committed to major national and European initiatives such as Water4All. Working together on water topics that should be addressed at national and European levels is central.

The seminar allowed aligning both initiatives and identifying potential synergies between them.

The exchanges with different  types of stakeholders focused on:

• Discussing common goals,
• Strengthening the ties between European and national efforts in water research and innovation,
• Feed the development of Water4All's upcoming strategic agenda.

Three different sessions were hold

1 - The first session: attendees identified key knowledge gaps on “water and health”:

• As regards emerging contaminants, there's a lack of knowledge on the functioning of PFAs, and these issues are global. Further progress is required in contaminant monitoring, the identification of pollution sources, and the setting of toxicity thresholds,
• Antibiotic resistance: There is a global concern about antibiotics entering water systems. Key research questions that need to be addressed in the future include how to monitor resistant bacteria, transmission tracking, and the development of prevention methods.
• Climate change and health: Water scarcity and quality have profound impacts on public health and well-being. In addition to physical health risks, water quality also plays a significant role in psychosocial well-being,
• The need for data sharing was also highlighted.

2 – The second session focused on discussions on data, knowledge and policy integration.

• The need for improved data collection and integration into models, especially at the local level, was identified,
• Regional collaboration also emerged, with networks in regions like Nouvelle Aquitaine fostering partnerships between universities, local governments, and stakeholders to address the impacts of climate change.
• The importance of co-creation and democratising science was stressed to ensure that the public actively participates in decision-making processes.

3 – The third session highlighted several emerging trends and challenges in water management over the next 10 to 20 years.

The key points included:

• The need for better data management and the development of more advanced analytical tools.
• There was a call to better integrate all components of the water cycle, including groundwater sources, and to improve regional and local modeling.
• Participants stressed the importance of balancing water quality and quantity, promoting water conservation, and shifting towards a more sustainable approach.
• The report by IPBES identified five critical challenges (food security, climate change, biodiversity, water, and health) that need to be incorporated into water management strategies.
• Additionally, the need to enhance the coupling of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and payments for ecosystem services was emphasized.
• Regulatory frameworks: improving the incorporation of data and research into policymaking was mentioned. Research should extend beyond current regulations, citing examples like desalination and aquifer recharge. The importance of ensuring regulatory coherence and avoiding sectorial policies that overlook water issues was also mentioned.
• To address the lack of toxicity thresholds for many chemicals, there was a call for a paradigm shift in evaluating their danger, including the use of in silico and in vitro methods and considering co-exposures.

Public Consultation

In addition, participants were asked to fill out a public consultation to identify stakeholders’ priorities for each of Water4All’s strategic themes. The results of the consultation will be presented in the next OneWater’s school at the end of August 2025.