On Monday 3 December, the Water and Climate Coalition organized a water session at the “Mountain Day” back to back with the COP18. The seminar, which was titled “Building resilience in mountain water resources and closing the gap between policy and implementation”, drew an audience of both observer organisations and party members, and sought to highlight the importance of integrating discussions on climate and water, and to close the gap between policy and implementation.

Karin Lexén of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the Water and Climate Coalition Secretariat opened the session by stressing the need for taking local knowledge on water management into account in decision making on climate adaptation and mitigation. She also outlined the Water and Climate Coalition priorities for COP18 which included suggestions on a thematic initiative on water under the Nairobi Work Programme, and a greater emphasis on water resources management under the Loss and Damages Work Programme.

Fred Boltz of Conservation International provided participants with an overview over the challenges which climate change imposes on freshwater ecosystems. Mountain regions, which make up 1/3 of the global surface, hold 2/3 of all freshwater resources. As such they are supporting the world population with water. Considering that climate change brings changes in water availability and variability, preserving freshwater ecosystems is key to climate resilience. In particular, Fred stressed the need for infrastructure to be flexible to climatic variation and to be designed so as not to disrupt ecosystems.

Mats Eriksson, also from SIWI, has previously worked in the Himalaya region. In his presentation he brought up the crucial issue of flood mitigation infrastructure. An often overlooked measure, many of the structures put in place are not adapted to local conditions and are poorly maintained and governed. This can have disastrous consequences – one example is the breach of embankments in Koshi Basin in 2008, an accident which killed 7000 people and displaced another 3,6 million. In order to create infrastructure that better protects lives and livelihoods, Mats highlighted the need to build on local knowledge and to strengthen capacities in order to ensure good and transparent governance.

“If the glaciers disappear, Pakistan is heading for disaster”. Those were the words of Pervaiz Amir of the Global Water Partnership and the Pakistan delegation to the UNFCCC. Pakistan is relying heavily on mountain water resources, and is as such vulnerable to climate change. It is estimated that the country’s water resources will decrease by 40% until 2050/2060 due to climate change. Pervaiz pointed out that there is a small number of countries in the world which are particularly vulnerable and needs support in order to be able to adapt to climate change. This is reflected in the UNFCCC process, which Pervaiz describes as “frustration with hope”.

Bai-Maas Taal of AMCOW warned that this event is speaking to the already converted, and that discussions on science and policy need to move out from side events and back to back seminars and into the UNFCCC process. He urged for the outcomes from today’s seminar to be transmitted to the negotiators at COP18. We cannot work in silos, and science needs to be translated into political language in order to be adopted in decision making.

This day might have been dedicated to mountains, but when it comes to water the world is interconnected. As Bai-Maas tall pointed out: The small island states struggling with rising sea levels might experience climate change very differently to mountain regions. But sea level rise is a consequence of melting glaciers. The world is facing a common challenge, and we should all speak with one voice.
 

On the second day of the World Water Week, we brought together NGOs, policymakers and international negotiators to discuss adaptation to climate change at the local level. We wanted to discuss how achievements in the UN climate negotiations can be translated into concrete actions on the local level. But the strongest outcome of the seminar really was that there needs to be an information flow from the ground level and up. It is also vital to exchange good practices between developing countries that are struggling to adapt to and cope with climate change.

David Molden, Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) showed how people in the Himalayas are trying new crops and approaches to adapt to rising temperatures.

Mohammed Younis Khan from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme had travelled several days from the Chitral Valley to share his experience on how glacial entrapped valleys in Pakistan manage their water through a community-led governance structure plugging into the region’s customary laws. Roy Anunciacion, Coordinator at the People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty explained how farmers in Uganda adapt their own practices by improvising local irrigation and planting trees that conserve water. And Joanna Elliott from the African Wildlife Foundation showed how the rapidly disappearing Mau forest in Kenya is now being restored as a result of the involvement of local communities in the reforestation and the government’s firm goal to restore Kenya’s forests.
Ambassador Bo Kjellén pointed out that the UNFCCC climate negotiations is not the real world, but only a projection of it, and that these examples of local struggles are continuously needed for negotiators to hear in order to remember what they are fighting for.

During the recently concluded UNFCCC COP17 meeting in Durban, water was, partly as a result of intensive and excellent work by the Water and Climate Coalition and several other groups, included as part of the Nairobi Work Programme (NWP). In November 2011, at the request of parties, the UNFCCC Secretariat produced a technical paper on water and climate change impacts and adaptation strategies, to support the integration of water into adaptation action under the NWP. This paper served as a background document to the deliberations. Climate and Water issues were dealt with at two different official sessions: on December 1st at the Joint SBSTA/SBI (the Subsidiary Body for Implementation) workshop to "consider the outcomes of the Nairobi work programme, to highlight the scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change most relevant to the SBI" (FCCC/SBSTA/2011/CRP.1), and at the SBSTA session December 3rd when the Agenda item3, the Nairobi work programme was deliberated (FCCC/SBSTA/2011/L.26/Add.1).

At the SBSTA/SBI workshop parties highlighted both the importance of focusing on "sectoral approaches" where water, health and food security were specifically mentioned, and also the need for guidance "to consider trade-offs between sectors in the light of scarce resources" where allocation of water was specifically mentioned. The SBSTA, responding to the proposals and contributions made by parties, including written contributions¹, requested the secretariat to organize in cooperation with other relevant organizations, a technical workshop, before the thirty-seventh session of SBSTA on water and climate change impacts and adaptation strategies.

Among the most important Side events from a water and climate perspective was of course the Water, Climate and Development Day on December 3rd. The African Ministers Council on Water, AMCOW, in conjunction with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank, AfDB, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA, the Department of Water Affairs,  DWA South Africa, the Global Water Partnership, GWP, and the Water and Climate Coalition (WCC) organised the Water, Climate and Development Day as well as the High Level session that presented the key findings of the day to ministers and dignitaries to take into the Conference of the Parties’ High-Level segment.

The Water, Climate and Development Day that dealt with issues such as "Global Policy Solutions for Adaptation and Mitigation", "Infrastructure, Technical and Ecosystem Solutions", "Climate Change Information for Water Resources", and "Financial and Institutional Solutions", delivered during the day and at the High Level segment several key messages. Among these are the following action oriented messages of particular importance to the continuous intergovernmental UNFCCC-process:
 

• "Water knowledge expertise needs to inform the Adaptation Committee to ensure linkages between Nairobi Work Programme and the Cancun Agreement, emphasising importance of water as a key medium for adaptation. Qualified water resource management knowledge should be represented amongst the members of the Adaptation Committee. In addition links should be established between the Adaptation Committee and water institutions and organisation.
• We welcome the SBSTA draft decision to organise a technical workshop on water. This can be further strengthened by establishing a thematic focus under the Nairobi Work Programme, ensuring that climate interventions involving water resources are properly addressed.
• Establish water as a priority under the Green Climate Fund with a sub thematic funding window for water resources management.
• The Africa Green fund should include a dedicated thematic funding window for water resources and to be utilised for projects related to water management and climate change adaptation and mitigation."

Reference:
1. Such as the "Opinion of Republic of Uzbekistan on the research and systematic observations" in which they mention "assessment of performance of measures of the rational water use in irrigated farming and correction of irrigated norms" as one of the priority-driven tasks for implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures.

The water community has taken significant steps in the right direction at COP 17 in Durban. Despite a very small team, the Water and Climate Coalition was able to follow the discussions of our key issues; the continuation of the Nairobi Work Programme, the negotiations on the Adaptation Committee and the Green Climate Fund. We have had great help and support by members from FAN, CI and Green Cross and a very good collaboration with our partners GWP and CONAGUA. We have been able to support a major push by a number of parties, and we will most likely see Mexico, LDCs and African countries speak up for the cause of water.

On December 3rd and December 6th WCC, African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), African Union Commission (AUC), African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Department of Water Affairs, (DWA) South Africa and Global Water Partnership (GWP) arranged Water, Climate and Development Day events. December 3rd was an all-day event and December 6th was a high level panel where key messages from the 3rd were highlighted and discussed. Both meetings took place in the Africa Pavilion at COP 17 in Durban.

Africa Pavilion, December 3rd

Both events were well attended, with over 100-140 persons in the audience, and we received numerous positive and spontaneous comments regarding the content and the value of the topic and discussions.

Water, and its interconnectedness with Climate Change and how this is addressed and managed on the development and funding agendas, is a theme which clearly is on the rise. The concluding statements of the dignitaries sent us off knowing that we had addressed the key questions that make waters case in the climate context AND that the collaboration between WCC and numerous African and international institutions had successfully ensured and, established, the issue of water on the climate agenda.

This question was discussed by a high level panel of national representatives at one of the World Water Week seminars Water and Climate in Focus: Raising the profile of water in the global climate discourse” last week. There is a need to continue acknowledge water’s cross-cutting nature and its relevance for both climate adaptation and mitigation- something all panelists agreed on. The African ministers talked about the implications climate change has and will have for African countries in the future. The shrinkage of Lake Chad for instance will affect water availability and thus put a stress on local populations, leading to an increased risk of water-related conflicts. 

Through its advocacy on the climate negotiations, the Water and Climate Coalition have pushed for water to be treated as a unique agenda item on the SBSTA agenda (The Subsidiary body for scientific and Technical Advice). Although this did not happen a fair compromise was reached and instead of addressing water as a separate agenda item it was to be addressed under the Nairobi Work Programme on Adaptation. This should be seen as a major achievement; however, the coalition will continue to push for water being treated as a single agenda item. Among the panelists there was a concern that treating water as a separate agenda item can make other groups push for their issues to be treated the same way. Climate negotiations have too many issues to deal with. They already have troubles going through all agenda items with the very limited time- how is it possible to include even more? Angela Kallhauge, working as a senior advisor at the Swedish Energy Agency’s International Climate Policy Unit meant that the coalition should focus on educating climate negotiators at home so when they are at the negotiations they have “water with them in thought“ all the time. Are there too many issues? Hannah Stoddart from Stakeholder Forum responded and said that we cannot compare water with many of the other issues that want to be placed on the agenda. Water differs since “it is the essence of everything”. If we want to make climate adaptation and mitigation successful pushing for a space for water on the SBSTA agenda is the way to start!
 

World Water Week - now it is up and running, full force, unstoppable - the water agenda brought forth lound and clear across the board. 6 days straight about water -  Water and sanitation, water for urban poor, water and development, lack of water, desalination of water, water and conservation, water and climate - as one speaker said "water is like air, it is everywhere and everything depends on it, it is almost difficult to speak of it since it is relevant  to everything!" This week is about knowledge. Learning more about water. Understanding more about water. Thinking about water. Expand your horizon. Get to know more people. It is exciting!

Swedish Water house convened the Annual Meeting of the Water and Climate Coalition together with Stakeholder Forum. Despite the late hour (from 19:00 -21:00!) we had a afull house of 17 members, partners and obervers, like SEI, Green Cross, Conservation International, WWF, GWP and others,  keenly supporting and following the work we have done under UNFCCC. As our oldest colleague from Stakeholder Forum is moving on to new and exciting assignments there was a heightened sense of shared goals and common efforts as we take on the new work plan.

At the UN Climate Change Conference held in Bonn 6 - 17 June, with meetings in the working groups under the convention as well as in the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), water was not only discussed in the corridors but at the meetings with the SBSTA and during the Side Event "Water, Climate and Development: Towards COP 17".

The Side Event on “Water, Climate and Development” was co-arranged by the Water and Climate Coalition, WCC [1], www.waterclimatecoalition.org , Global Water Partnership and African Ministers Council on Water, AMCOW. It was the main activity focusing on how water related issues in relation to climate change could be better addressed in the UNFCCC-process. The Cancun meeting resulted in water being on the SBSTA-agenda as the Agenda Item 13 of the SBSTA on ‘Impacts of climate change on water resources and water management’. The WCC now is strongly advocating for the UNFCCC to “define a space for reporting and evaluation on how water is integrated and highlighted in different programmes and mechanisms under the UNFCCC”. The main goal is according to WCC for the UNFCCC process to establish a work programme on water under the Convention. The Executive Secretary of the AMCOW at the Side Event rightly pointed out that the water representation at the UNFCCC and the Convention on Biodiversity tend to run in separate tracks. The CBD has a programme on Inland Water Biodiversity, but the processes and the issues are not compatible although both conventions were opened for signatures at the Rio Conference 1992.

The discussions during the SBSTA 34 including the informal consultations undertaken by the chair of the SBSTA resulted in that the Parties agreed to discuss the issue of water under the Agenda Item 3, the Nairobi Work Programme. This was the formal agreement reached, but the discussion leading up to that included a request to prepare a technical paper on water and climate change impacts and adaptation strategies, as well as the need for a review of NAPAs and NAMAs with a view to strengthen and creating coherence in water dependent actions, which was put forward by a number of Parties to the Convention.

However, there might be something to use in the process to strengthen water in the UNFCCC process that may be learnt from what happened at the 10th COP to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Deriving from reviews of published assessments including the IPCC report on water, a set of Policy Agreements and Guidance on Water and Climate Change were proposed by the CBD Second Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change to the CBD. These policy statements and guidance were adopted by the COP of CBD in October 2010. 

References
[1] The SWH is a key member of the WCC

COP16 proved to be a good meeting for water. For the first time, “climate people” and “water people” seemed to reach if not a mutual understanding then at least a first attempt to start discussions on how the two perspectives can be merged. The highlight came on Saturday December 4th when six countries came up with a formal proposal to start addressing water under the scientific advisory body under the climate convention.
For the Water and Climate Coalition COP16 proved to be two busy weeks filled with meetings with negotiators, partner organisations and interested parties. In addition, the Coalition arranged several public events. Below is an attempt to report back from these sessions.

Side Event Dec 6th: Water, Climate and Development: Linking up development agendas and putting water security first.
The Water and Climate Coalition, the Global Water Partnership and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung organised the joint side event “Water, Climate and Development: Linking up development agendas and putting water security first”. Moderated by Ms Letitia Obeng, Chair of the Global Water Partnership, the six speakers on the panel shared their different views on meeting the water, development and climate challenges.
- Mr Bai Mass Taal, Executive Secretary of AMCOW, presented an intivitative by GWP and AMCOW which will support African countries in adapting to climate change.
- Mr Anders Berntell of SIWI and the Water and Climate Coalition presented the Coalition’s work and laid out the proposed work programme on water and climate.
- Ms Ursula-Shäfer Preuss, Vice President of ADB brought an Asian perspective on climate change, highlighting the challenges of rapid urbanisation and growing cities.
- Mr Rolando Castro of FAN stressed the need to enable and preserve healthy ecosystems in order to build resilience.
- Ms Kulthuom Omari of HBF  spoke on the gender perspectives on water.
- Mr Aart van der Horst from the Dutch delegation brought insights and perspective from inside the negotiations.

The event drew an audience of close to 100 people and provoked an interesting debate on diverse water and development issues. Questions from the audience included concerns on private sector and trade interest in water, questions on how to meet the need for capacity building on water change, and input on how to spread the word on the Coalition’s proposed work programme.


The Side Event panel.

Press Conference, Dec 6th: “Putting Water Security First”.
The press confrence arranged on Monday December 6th presented the Water and Climate Coalition with an opportunity to present its work to an audience of journalists present at COP16 in Cancun. The panel of speakers from the coalition made efforts to explain the linkages between water resources and climate change. Two days earlier, on Saturday 4 December, six countries at COP16 had made a formal request to start discussions on water under the SBSTA – the body which provides scientific and technical support to the climate convention. This development which is much welcomed by the Coalition was also commented upon during the press conference. Prior to the press conference a press release had been sent out. 


Karin Lexén and Hannah Stoddart at the press conference.

High-level panel, December 8th
On behalf of the Water and Climate Coalition, Mr Anders Berntell of SIWI gave a presentation at the high-level panel which marked the closing of the Dialogs on water and climate. The session, which was held in the Mexican pavilion at COP16 presented an impressive line-up of high profile speakers within the global water, environment, investment and development communities.
Mr Anders Berntell spoke on water as being the blood stream of our planet, fundamental to all functions of society. He also stressed the need for putting water on the global climate agenda and expressed the Coalition’s support for the proposal put forward by six countries at COP16 earlier this week to start a discussion on water under the climate convention.
Other speakers further highlighted the cross cutting nature of water and called for strengthening of institutions, enhanced focus on capacity building and more research and data – measures which would enable the water community to better face the challenges connected to climate change.

By: Lovisa Selander, Stockholm International Water Institute

Smogen ligger som en tät dimma kring det gigantiska konferenscentrat i Tianjin. Här hålls just nu det sista förhandlingsmötet innan COP16 i Cancun, Mexiko i december. Det är nu förhandlarna skall enas om de sista textändringarna så att beslut om ett bindande avtal kan tas under COP – Conferences of the Parties. Det var åtminstone detta som var målsättningen. Tyvärr verkar det svårare än väntat att komma framåt i processen.

Förhandlingarna förs i två spår. Samtidigt som man arbetar med att formulera en fortsättning på Kyotoprotokollet jobbar man även med ett vidare avtal, AWG-LCA, kring långsiktiga åtaganden inom olika områden. Det stora antalet underområden gör förhandlingsprocessen både svår och långsam. Under veckan har perspektivet förändrats. Man pratar nu inte längre om ett möjligt bindande avtal i Cancun, utan blickar istället framåt mot COP17 i Sydafrika nästa år. Ambitionen blir snarare att i Cancun ta fram en arbetsplan för hur den processen ska se ut.

Mycket uppmärksamhet har under veckan riktats mot USA och Kina, som med sin kompromisslöshet utgör en stor bromskloss i förhandlingarna. ”Vi arbetar alla hårt för att få fram ett avtal”, sade Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary UNFCCC, vid en briefing igår. ”Det tar tid, och tyvärr tar det längre tid för en del. Vi väntar nu alla på att USA och Kina ska avsluta sina egna förhandlingar”.

För vår del har det här varit en vecka full av intressanta möten och diskussioner. Vi är här för att representera Water and Climate Coalition, och under veckan har vi tillbringat hela dagarna med att ha möten med förhandlingsdelegater för att identifiera olika sätt att integrera vattenfrågan i ett framtida klimatavtal. Det är glädjande att se att alla vi pratat med håller med om att vattenförvaltning bör ges större utrymme i förhandlingarna. Däremot skiljer sig åsikterna åt i fråga om vilken strategi som är bäst. Mest engagemang i frågan visar de länder som väntas drabbas hårdast av klimatförändringarna, tex Bangladesh, Indonesien, latinamerikanska och afrikanska länder samt mindre ö-stater.

Imorgon avslutas förhandlingarna här i Tianjin. Då får vi se vad veckans förhandlingar resulterat i. Helt still verkar det trots allt inte stå. Som Jorge Gastelumendi från TNC rapporterade imorse:
”Nu rör det på sig. Bakåt.”

av Lovisa Selander, SIWI