Water security is increasingly under threat from accelerating climate change and anthropogenic pressures, with particularly severe implications for Africa and other water-stressed and climate-vulnerable regions. Climate variability, recurrent droughts and floods, urbanisation, agricultural expansion, ecosystem degradation, population growth, and competing water demands are placing increasing pressure on hydrological systems. Persistent inequalities in water access and allocation further highlight the need to move beyond understanding water challenges towards translating scientific knowledge into equitable and effective action.

This session explores how water science, governance, innovation, capacity development, and multi-stakeholder cooperation can bridge the gap between knowledge and implementation that contribute to equitable and climate-resilient water security. Attention is given to connecting scientific evidence with policy frameworks, institutional capacity, local knowledge, and practical implementation, while advancing integrated and multisectoral water resources management.

We invite interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary contributions addressing water security under climate and societal change, with a particular focus on Africa and broader relevance through transferable lessons. Contributions may include: climate-resilient and equitable water resources management; water governance, institutions, policy implementation and allocation; drought, floods and adaptation; multisectoral approaches to competing water demands; water–agriculture–food–ecosystem interactions; participatory approaches and indigenous and local knowledge; innovative monitoring, Earth observation, modelling and decision-support tools; economic and institutional dimensions of water security; and capacity development strengthening the science–policy–practice interface.

The session seeks to identify context-sensitive and scalable pathways from water science to water security by connecting scientific knowledge with governance, institutional strengthening, policy and implementation. Through cross-disciplinary, cross-sector, and cross-scale dialogue, it aims to generate actionable insights for more equitable, cooperative, and climate-resilient water management amid global change.