Emerging markets - water and sanitation

There is a need internationally for innovation within the fields of water, sanitation and sustainable resource management in order to achieve the UN sustainable development goals, the SDGs. These goals relate to each other in different way where the achievement of for example the sanitation-related goals, if there is a focus also on resource recovery and reuse, may influence other goals in a positive manner. However, it is also possible that achievement of some goals is in conflict with achieving others. Fulfilling the Agenda 2030 is therefore complex and demands cross-sectional cooperation, innovation and development.

Our role at RISE is to work for long-term sustainability in innovation systems and projects, sustainable institutional development as well as to work with capacity development with a high level of societal and customer development. Within the expertise Emerging markets – water and sanitation we have gathered knowledge and capacity within RISE with a broad international experience (Africa, Asia and Latin America) especially in sanitation, project planning and project management. We work with cross-sectoral approaches, in an inclusive manner and always with an end user focus irrespective of type of project (research, development or implementation projects).

Examples of newly completed or currently ongoing projects:

• Sustainable Innovation in Emergencies – development of an innovation platform to increase Sweden’s export of sustainable solutions in emergency situations (http://www.sustainnovaid.org/)
• China EU Water Platform – a platform that is supporting the China – EU cooperation in relation to policy and business development as well as research, with special focus on stormwater.
• Adaptation and innovation in sanitation planning – exploring technical and societal readiness of alternative nutrient-recovery systems in Kampala, Uganda.
• Sustainability analysis of different sanitation systems in Bolivia.