Nairobi, Kenya – The first CGIAR Global Science Week brought together over 13,600 participants from more than 100 countries, uniting global experts to discuss innovative solutions for sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems.
Representing the Central European bioeconomy community, Martin Kováč highlighted the region’s leading role in regenerative water and soil management. As part of high-level dialogues, Kováč met with Mark Smith, Director General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) – a key CGIAR institute – to explore strategic synergies.
Kováč, who leads the Climate Club – National Trust in Slovakia, and is a member of the BIOEAST Fresh Water-Based Bioeconomy Thematic Group, emphasised the importance of Central Europe’s leadership in the New Water Paradigm. This approach is tightly linked to the BIOEAST SRIA for a Freshwater-Based Bioeconomy and aligns closely with CGIAR’s efforts to restore green water systems and stabilise the global water cycle.
Importantly, IWMI hosts the Secretariat of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water starting in March 2025, opening further doors for collaboration between CGIAR and Central European institutions.
As part of the event, Kováč spoke on the panel “Building Water-Resilient Food Systems”, during Plenary Session 4 in the Growing Frontiers segment. He also met with representatives of WFP Kenya and UN-Habitat, and visited the research labs at the World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF), another CGIAR centre.
His participation underlined the strategic value of integrating the WEFE Nexus (Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems) into global bioeconomy strategies, a shared priority for both BIOEAST and the European Alliance on Regenerative Agriculture (EARA).
“This event reaffirmed the need for closer international cooperation to heal ecosystems and climate through local water and soil regeneration, laying the foundation for stable food systems and climate resilience,” said Martin Kováč.
All sessions from CGIAR Science Week 2025 are available on the CGIAR YouTube channel.
