Water for Communities: Advancing Sustainability through Arts, Climate Resilience and Community Action

This side event, led by Green and Better World Cameroon, will explore how sustainability arts, Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC), and cross-sectoral partnerships can accelerate the implementation of SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, in particular increase water access.

The event will demonstrate concrete methods for translating water sustainability goals into community-level behavioural change, including:

• Participatory arts and storytelling: Using visual arts, community narratives, creative workshops, and interactive learning tools to strengthen emotional connections with water ecosystems and encourage responsible water use.

• Arts-based sustainability facilitation: Presenting the Voda Má initiative as an example of engaging communities in river stewardship through interdisciplinary collaboration between artists, scientists, and local residents.

• Social and Behaviour Change Communication: Applying behavioural research, audience segmentation, and culturally relevant media campaigns to promote water conservation, hygiene practices, and sustainable water management.

• Community-led implementation: Exploring how local NGOs can engage youth, women, educators, and community leaders in identifying water-related challenges, developing locally appropriate solutions, and sustaining collective action.

• Cross-sectoral partnerships: Connecting NGOs, creative industries, researchers, water professionals, and public institutions to co-design educational programmes, pilot community interventions, and develop scalable approaches to SDG 6 implementation.