On 3rd November the GPPN hosted a "Water Day" in collaboration with UN Water alongside the climate change negotiations in Barcelona.
The day set out to show that water is a critical and cross-cutting concern for climate change adaptation and mitigation. There were six sessions which focused on climate change and a range of water-related issues: Water and Livelihoods; Water, Ecosystems and Forests; Water and Land; Water and Regional/Transboundary Cooperation; Water and Land; Water and Gender; and Water and Energy.
The sessions brought together water experts and advocates from across the governmental, non-governmental and intergovernmental spheres – including UN Water, the Global Water Partnership, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Freshwater Action Network (FAN) and many more.
The day set out to build further support for a Copenhagen outcome that clearly recognises the importance of water for tackling climate change, and includes strong and action-orientated text to this end. The day also stimulated discussion on the post-Copenhagen international policy agenda on water and climate change.
The format was an interactive dialogue discussion, in which a lead speaker gave a 10 minute presentation on the issues, followed by a moderated discussion with a panel of experts, then followed by dialogue from the floor.
A full agenda of the Water Day is available for download here.
The GPPN put together a Policy Pack for the Water Day which is available for download here.
A press release was also issued to decry the 'Evaporation of Water from the Climate Change Talks', which was included as part of a wider Press Pack.
See all recordings audio recordings from Water Day here.