Wednesday 2nd June, 9am – 6pm
Federal Ministry for Education and Research, Heinemannstraße 2, 53175 Bonn.
The Water and Climate Coalition, in partnership with UN Water and the Global Water Partnership, organised a second Water Day on 2nd June alongside the climate change negotiations in Bonn.
Water Day consisted of a full day of exciting dialogue, discussions and presentations highlighting the role of water in the context of climate change. The event brought together water experts and climate change negotiators to exchange perspectives and highlight the importance of strong references to water in COP16 outcomes.
The agenda and list of presenters is below, with presentations attached where possible.
A full report summarising the discussions will be made available here shortly.
9.00 - 9.15: Introduction to Water Day - Including presentations from Stockholm International Water Institute, Stakeholder Forum and the Water and Climate Coalition.
9.15 - 11.00: Adaptation - The Water Management Perspective
Adaptation to climate change is to a great extent about water resources management and building resilience to water-related risks such as droughts and floods. How can water resources management plans best be incorporated into national and regional climate change adaptation strategies? What outcomes are needed from the UNFCCC to help make this happen?
Speakers included: Avinash Tyagi, UN-Water; Alex Simalabwi, Global Water Partnership; James Dalton, IUCN Water Management Adviser; Dr. Nana Künkel, German delegation to UNFCCC; Vanessa Perez-Cirera, WWF; Estrellita Fuentes and Colin Herron, National Water Commission Mexico (Conagua).
11.30-13.00: Adaptation - The Water Supply and Sanitation Perspective
Climate change stands to have a significant impact on water supply and sanitation systems globally, with developing countries being among the worst affected. How can the resilience of water supply and sanitation systems be enhanced? How can the MDG target on water and sanitation be ‘climate-proofed’?
Speakers included: Heather Allen, NRDC; Paul Horton, Chartered Institute for Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM); Dr Seetharam, FANSA;
13.00 – 14.00: Lunch
14.00-16.00: Financing - Mobilizing Finance for Adaptation in the Water Sector
The funding available for adaptive water management is a fraction of what is needed. This session addressed the need for new and additional funding, as well as the need to speed up investment in water management in vulnerable developing countries.
Speakers included: Dr. Manuel Schiffler, KfW/GTZ; Jorge Gastelumendi, TNC.
16.00-18.00 Mitigation - Water and Energy interlinkages in the context of Climate Change
The relationship between climate change mitigation measures and water is a reciprocal one. Mitigation measures including hydropower and biofuels have direct implications for water resource use and management. Conversely, water management has an impact on carbon emissions due to the energy intensity of water infrastructure. What is the best way of simultaneously achieving water security and energy security?
Speakers included: Henk van Schaik, Co-operative Programme on Water and Climate (CPWC); Dr Julian Wright, Policy Advisor for Climate Change, UK Environment Agency; Joerg Hartmann, WWF
Side Event, 3rd June, 18.00 – 19.30, Room Wind (MoE)
The Water and Climate Coalition was officially launched at a side event alongside the climate change negotiations in Bonn. The side event offered an opportunity to find out more about the coalition, to discuss some of the key issues relating to water and climate change, and to identify the key priorities in relation to the UNFCCC negotiations.
There were presentations by Stakeholder Forum, SIWI and members of the coalition including WWF and Freshwater Action Network.
More information is available here