The IX Lviv Eco Forum was held on October 1-2, 2024, under the theme “Together for Sustainability” and was marked by a strong Danish presence.
The Eco Forum was organized by the "Ukrvodokanalecologiya" Association, Lviv Vodokanal, and UNICEF. It brought together more than 100 participants, including representatives from the government of Ukraine, Vodokanal enterprises, municipalities, research institutions, and international partners. The Danish participation included the Danish Embassy in Ukraine, as well as representatives from Lviv's twin city of Aarhus, including both Aarhus Municipality and Aarhus Water Utility. Grundfos also had a stand at the exhibition.
Kamilla Kristensen Rai, the Embassy’s Counsellor on Water and Environment, spoke at the panel “Water in Ukraine and the World: Local and Global Practices.” She highlighted the importance of the water sector, since water is essential to life”. She stated: “Today at Lviv Ecoforum, we are talking about what the future looks like in Ukraine in terms of water – both drinking water and wastewater treatment.” She added, “Denmark supports Ukraine in its work in the water sector and wishes to further strengthen inter-ministerial cooperation on water and environment.” Kamilla Kristensen Rai also emphasized that “the water sector calls for togetherness, and this is what Lviv Eco Forum reflects.”
Aarhus Municipality and Aarhus Water Utility conduct a twinning cooperation on water with Lviv Municipality and Lviv Vodokanal. Representatives of Aarhus Vand Mr. Flemming Fogh Pedersen, Director Operations Aarhus Water Utility, Ms. Inge Helkjær Jensen, Project Director & Chief Engineer, Aarhus Water Utility and Aarhus Municipality Mr. Peter Thastum, Biologist, Aarhus Municipality, made a presentation, sharing valuable insights about their operations. “Aarhus wastewater treatment plant is managed by a smart phone” (Mr. Flemming Fogh Pedersen, Aarhus Vand), hence highlighting the high level of digitalization in various processes at the waste water treatment plant in Aarhus. They also talked about benchmarking systems for water utilities, tariff structures in Denmark, and the recovery of methane for energy use at the wastewater treatment plant in Aarhus. “Lviv and Aarhus are linked, since wastewater goes to Baltic Sea from Lviv and Aarhus”
On October 2, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on sustainable water infrastructure was signed between the "Ukrvodokanalecologiya" Association and the Danish Water Forum, further strengthening cooperation between Denmark and Ukraine.
