Research and innovation priorities for climate adapting humanitarian WASH

Type of funding

Humanitarian Research

Focus areas

Event type

Webinar

A water vendor pulls his cart as he walks on a busy street in Kano, Nigeria. Credit: Etinosa, Yvonne, Pulse Research, Nigeria

Join us, Oxfam and the ADAPT Initiative at World Water Week for our online session on August 26th 2025 | 14.00-15.00BST / 15:00-16:00 CET, titled Research and innovation priorities for climate adapting humanitarian WASH

Climate change is no longer a distant threat—it’s disrupting humanitarian water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems today. From water scarcity to infrastructure damage and increased disease risks, crisis-affected communities are facing growing challenges in the face of a changing climate.

Leading the sector's response to this, we commissioned research (led by Oxfam and the ADAPT Initiative) to identify exactly where research and innovation can make the greatest impact. Through a comprehensive global consultation process panning nine crisis-affected countries and involving over 500 practitioners, we’ve distilled the most urgent priorities where targeted research and innovation can transform the sector’s ability to provide essential WASH services in a climate-altered world.

The session will cover:

Key findings from a first-of-its-kind report highlighting 11 research and innovation priorities for adapting humanitarian WASH response to climate change.

The impact of climate change and how it is fundamentally transforming the humanitarian WASH landscape and affecting those affected by crises.

Key knowledge gaps where the sector can develop more effective research and innovation efforts to protect vulnerable populations from the escalating impacts of climate change on essential WASH services.

We invite humanitarian practitioners, researchers, innovators and funders to use these findings to drive relevant research and innovation efforts to shape climate-proof humanitarian WASH response.