The Networking part - Lessons from the Water summit

After 2 years, I met Henk Ovink and many people I have been learning from for years!

?Last Tuesday, I participated at the Water summit held at TU Delft, and for an instant, I was almost missing that opportunity if it was not for Ain Contractor that encouraged me to show up even without a confirmation email of my registration.

?This is the moment you see how marvelously things work, because one small, tinny decision, like dress-up and bike, can trigger a waterfall!

?So, I went to the Water Summit for Global Development 2022: Catching up with urbanization (15 march 2022).

For weeks I have been wrangling, monologuing with myself, about the most challenging thing for my era, or how to find courage every day to keep sane and hopeful in this extremely fast environmental, social, economic, value changes to not say disruptions? You might understand even better these thoughts if I tell you I am on my thesis writing. ?Read until the end to see Henk Ovink opinion!

I am sharing my experience here because I found it very relevant to highlight two important aspects of summits/conferences/symposiums etc:

• ?Be critical while engaging with any summit, conferences, influential concepts, projects travelling around the world,
• Formal and informal networking is very important on these kinds of set -ups.

?I did not read the full-day program; hence, I did not expect to see Henk Ovink and many other personalities that I have been acquainted with through books, papers, workshops, etc, on water management field and related topics. I am emphasizing his name because indeed he is a well-known person for its works, but not only for his work but for the nature of his work. When I student comes from abroad to study in the Netherlands and in the water field, probably the first image of him you would see is him near to the water. This is the first image I got, during a module that talked about the entry points for water management, one of them is the distribution of knowledge.

I also met Professor Kala Vairavamoorthy, the Executive Director of the International Water Association. I read part of his book and many articles from him that speaks about Intermittent water supply in a water-scarce country (partially part of my thesis). He shared interesting idea on how to further continue my discussion.

I learned that mostly what are portrayed on this kind of meeting does not fit with what actually happens on the ground, and generally everyone is aware of this.

I met Elizabeth Tilley, an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering ETH Zurich, and with her talk, I learned quickly that she is radical. While unpacking my bags, she said If a lot of people is hatting you it is because you are doing a good job. It did not sink very well on my brain because I always questioned the aggressive approach of communicating and engaging with water climate issues when it must bring on the table. As if I close the door for negotiations, how them I have room to engage or invite those key people to cooperate (I don’t believe it is black or white, you hate me or you don’t hate me). However, it might be highly dependent on what you are, from where you come. I certainly know that If I ever want to change anything in Cape Verde, I must sit with people to see how we accommodate each other's needs (I am aware that in another social context, it is a matter of conflict/war/protecting or not).

?Throughout the events, I learned that we really need to change the unconscious idea that we are “water people”, they are “energy people”, or we are the "water sector". We must genuinely start to think that as water intersects every area in our lives, it must be water connector, literally . The water sector often entails working on silos, and it does not matter if you have a high Tech water leakage control, illegal connection, or high tech pollutants sensor if you are not working integrally with others, or have a ?ground-level perspective, why it is happening in the first place.

?Finally, I just want to write quickly about networking. Nowadays, people are complicating THE networking thing. A person is processing (for so long) how to approach,what to say, how to follow-up with the conversation while the queue is going on, and then you don’t see the person anymore. Just go and do it! So, what I do on every national or international participation: I am myself, talk the truth, and show enthusiasm through your body and facial expression, and it will flow!

Lastly, about how to keep sane and motivated: I asked Henk Ovink what keeps him motivated and sane despite the bad things he sees around the world as a person and as a Dutch Special water Envoy. He said

“… I like challenges, and it is also my duty”

Lessons:

1) Passion, ambition, dreams are not enough if you are not committed, consistent and disciplined.

2) Be critical with influential concepts, and agendas

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