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A bit of history

Until the COP21 United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2015 in Paris, It seemed that water was invisible. Agriculture, energy and forestry were (rightfully) recognized as the sole (wrongfully) key sectors to consider when addressing climate changes. Water was simply not an issue. Weirdly enough, since it is hard to imagine irrigating fields, cooling power plants or halting desertification with water out of the equation…

Of course, COP21 was a milestone in the history of global climate negotiations, as the Paris Agreement marked the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate change agreement. But it also was a milestone for the place granted to water at the Climate COPs.
At this occasion, and along with a wide range of partners, the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) pushed hard to make the voice of water heard in the international climate community. INBO launched the “Paris Pact on water and adaptation to climate change in the basins of lakes, rivers and aquifers”, which provides a set of principles and recommended measures and includes a call to actions, relayed by its 360 signatory organizations. INBO also joined forces with 20 organizations for the #ClimateIsWaterCampaign, led by the World Water Council (WWC) and the French Water Partnership (FWP).
In this context, and under the framework of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (a global climate action agenda by non-State actors, launched under the patronage of the Peruvian and French presidencies of the COP), the first official high level event on water in the history of the COPs was co-organized by INBO and its partners of the dedicated “Water Content Group”.

INBO was since then involved in each of the COPs, and in the definition and implementation of the water component of the Global Climate Action Agenda (which, since the COP22 that was held in Morocco, has taken the name of “Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action”, or MPGCA). Along with a myriad of thematic events, INBO co-organized with the “Water Content Group” each of the yearly editions of the “Water Action Event”, as is now called the official high level event on water initiated in Paris in 2021.

 

Water at COP27

Joining forces works. This diverse initiatives with a wide range of partners have contributed to give a greater attention to water. States are urged to prioritize action on water and climate, by INBO, along with other major international organizations:  French Water Partnership, the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion with the Water Agencies, SIWI, IWMI, UNECE, Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EcoPeace Middle East, GHD, The Nature Conservancy, Green Climate Fund, World Bank Group, International Water Resources Association, World Water Council, Global Water Partnership, UN Development Program, Union for Mediterranean.

INBO also brings its contribution to make sure that water holds a prominent place at this COP27. INBO is organizing seven events on water and adaptation to climate change. The main topics of our events are :

  • The Water Energy Food Ecosystems nexus : a regional approach
  • Nature-based Solutions for adaptation
  • Groundwater as both a solution for adaptation, and a resource at risk in a changing climate
  • Finance for Climate Resilience

 The list of the events (co-)organized by INBO is hereunder. The list of the speakers is in the programme section (tab on the left), as well as their PowerPoint presentations. INBO’s sessions are official UNFCCC events, or events happening in the Water Action Event, on the French Pavilion, and on the Water & Climate Pavilion.

Our message

Water is the first victim of climate change. Climate change primarily affects our societies through the water cycle, with unpredictable rainfall patterns, aquatic ecosystems degradation, altered river flows, sea level rise-induced salinization of coastal groundwater, more frequent and intense floods and droughts. These impacts cascade down to every aspects of our lives, threatening our health, our energy security, our food security, and pushing hundreds of millions of people to migrate in the coming decades.

In other words, climate is water.

And water also is part of the solution to climate challenges. In particular, planning an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) at basin level loosen the threatening stranglehold of climate change impacts on all water uses. It helps to design and implement at the right scale measures intended to reduce water demand, to develop non-conventional water resources, to prevent floods & droughts or to choose the right balance and combination of green and grey infrastructures for adaptation to climate changes.

Find hereunder the flyer providing an overview of this series of events (date, theme & location) and, in the “Program” section (see left side of this web page), their detailed programs. You can also download the flyer here.

flyer en

 

Programs

 

7 November 2022

Water & Climate Pavilion Opening Ceremony

 

 

8 November 2022

Water Pavilion: Financing Solutions for Transboundary Water Resilience to climate change

 

 

14 November 2022

 Water Action Event: The power of water: the unexplored potential for climate resilience

Click on the picture to see the replay of the event.

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Official UNFCCC Event: The Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus: A regional context

  • Mrs. Anne Pressurot, Quantitative management & climate change adaptation expert, Rhone Mediterranean Corsica Water Agency

 

 

French Pavilion: Basins of rivers, lakes & aquifers: the right scale for adaptation to climate change

  • Mrs. Anne Pressurot, Quantitative management & climate change adaptation expert, Rhone Mediterranean Corsica Water Agency
    • Water & climate: let’s adapt! 

  • Mr. Antoine Orsini,Member of the board of directors, French Water Agency Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse (AERMC), President of the Federation of Municipalities of Centrale Corsica.
  • Mr. Fawzi Bedredine, Regional coordinator, Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS)
  • Mr. Daouda Samba Sow, Secretary General, Organization for the Development of the Gambia River (OMVG)

 

 

Spain Pavilion: Water and Adaptation to Climate Change: Spain’s Challenges

Eric Tardieu's intervention on the Spain Pavilion

  • Mr. Teodoro Estrela, Director General of Water, Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge representative
  • Ms. Ana Pintó Fernández, Technical Advisor, Office for Climate Change, Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge representative
  • Mr. José Díaz-Caneja. Elected Director for the European region – International Desalination Agency (IDA) and CEO of Acciona
  • Mr. Darío Soto Abril. Chief Executive Officer – Global Water Partnership (GWP)
  • Mr. Eric Tardieu. Secretary – International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO)
  • Ms. Veronica Girardi. Environmental Affairs Officer - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

 

 

15 November 2022

Official UNFCCC Event: “Groundwater for adaptation : challenges and solutions

PPT Presentation

Ms. Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director General, Directorate General for the Environment, European Commission

Mr. Serigne Mbaye Thiam, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senegal 

Ms. Barbara Pompili, Chair of OECD Water Governance Initiative, Former Minister of Ecological Transition of France

Ms. Marie-Laure Vercambre, Director General, French Water Partnership (Modératrice)

Ms. Jehanne Fabre, Sustainability, Water Director, Danone 

Mr. Abdelkader Dodo, Coordinator of the Water Department, Sahara and Sahel Observatory 

Ms. Elodie Giuglaris, Hydrogeologist Engineer, French Geological Survey (BRGM), French Hydrogeology Committee (IAH) 

Ms. Mayná Coutinho Morais, General Director of the Committee for Guandu Water Reserve, Rio de Janeiro State Company for Water and Sanitation (CEDAE)

Dr. Vaibhav Chaturvedi, Fellow, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (India)

 

 

Official UNFCCC Event:  Finance for Climate Resilience in the Mediterranean and Africa: Water-wise Adaptation

  • Mr. Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water of the Kingdom of Morocco
  • Mrs. Judith Enaw,Secretary General, International Commission of the Congo-Ubangui-Sangha Basin (CICOS)
  • Mr Alisher Mamadzhanov, Climate Policy and Governance Specialist, Green Climate Fund (GCF)
  • Mr. Osward ChandaDirector of the Water Development and Sanitation Department, African Development Bank (AfDB)
  • Mr. Kishan Khoday,  Regional Team Leader, Nature Climate and Energy, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • Ambassador Almotaz Abadi's Closing remarks, Deputy Secretary General for Water, Environment & Blue Economy Division, Union for the Mediterranean 

 

 

Official UNFCCC Event: Nature-based solutions for Water and Climate Security

  • Ms. Andrea Erickson-Quiroz, Managing Director of the Water Security Department of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), on behalf of the World Water Council (WWC) 
  • Mrs. Bérangère Couillard, State Secretary for the Ecology  French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion
  • Mrs. Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director General for Environment European Commission
  • Mr. Serigne Mbaye Thiam, Minister of Water, Senegal
  • Mrs  Coletha Ruhamya, Deputy Executive Secretary, Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC)
  • Mrs Ana Asti, Under-secretary of Water resources and Sustainability Secretariat of Environment and Sustainability, State of Rio de Janeiro
  • Mr. Eduardo Correa Tavares, State Secretary of Planning, State of Amapá, Brazil

 

 

17 november 2022

EU Pavilion (virtual) :  Financing joint measures across sectors for resilience at transboundary basin scale: towards more cooperative and impactful climate action

  • Ms. Hanna Plotnykova, Environmental Affairs Officer, Water Convention secretariat, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
  • Mr. Arnaud de Vanssay, Team Leader – Water, Directorate-General International Partnerships (DG INTPA), European Commission
  • Mr. Mahamat Assouyouti, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Adaptation Fund Board Secretariat
  • Mr. Amgad Elmahdi, Water Resources Management Senior Specialist, Green Climate Fund (GCF)
  • Mr. Azamat Tashev, Climate Change Specialist, Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC):
  • Mr. Dibi Millogo, Deputy Executive Director, Volta Basin Authority (VBA)