The UNESCO/UNIDO cooperation on the potential of nanotechnology in water purification and wastewater treatment aims to explore the potential for this emerging technology to contribute to reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on safe drinking water and basic sanitation, as well as to the post-2015 development agenda and future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
31 May 2013: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) organized a session on ‘Nanotechnology Applications in Water Purification and Wastewater Treatment,’ which was the kick-off event of cooperation between the two organizations in the area of nanotechnology for clean water in developing countries.
The session addressed the following questions: What is the potential that nanotechnology holds to address these water problems? What nanotechnologies offer the most immediate promise in water purification and wastewater treatment? Which areas of water use are in the largest need of a technological upgrade and innovation?
Participating experts presented research findings on promising nanotechnology applications in water, such as improved membrane technologies, removal of bacteria and other pollutants, water quality monitoring, remediation of polluted water systems, greater wastewater reuse, desalinization, and less-water intensive agriculture. Discussions addressed not only the technical aspects, but also the challenges that limit nanotechnology applications in water.
Some of the conclusions of the session included the need to: adopt a balanced approach to nanotechnology applications in water; underline the risks associated with toxicology and wider impacts on human health and the environment; address ethical issues of nanotechnology applications in water that arise from uncertainties related to environmental and health risks; and engage with communities to make nanotechnologies relevant to local needs.
The UNESCO/UNIDO cooperation on the potential of nanotechnology in water purification and wastewater treatment aims to explore the potential for this emerging technology to contribute to reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on safe drinking water and basic sanitation, as well as to the post-2015 development agenda and future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The joint UNESCO-UNIDO session was co-organized by UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (IHP), UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST), UNIDO and the Slovak National Commission for UNESCO. It was part of the Conference on Emerging Ethical Issues in Science and Technology held in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 30-31 May 2013. [UNESCO Press Release]