Transcript Presentation Title - Global Water Partnership

Perspective on Water and Climate Change
in UNFCCC Negotiations
Chris Moseki
Water Research Commission of SA
Africa Pavilion – COP17
3 December 2011
Overview
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Where is water located under the UNFCCC?
Commitment of Parties to the Convention
What does the NWP seek to achieve (aim)?
Areas of work that constitute the Programme
Activities & progress to date - regarding the
implementation of the Programme
Water as an important theme within the NWP
Challenges/opportunities of water as a potential
stand-alone item on the SBSTA/COP agenda
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Where is water currently discussed or
located under the UNFCCC?
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Papers & Programmes:
The Nairobi Work programme on impacts, vulnerability
and adaptation to climate change
The 2008 Climate Change and Water IPCC Technical
Paper VI
The NAPAs under the LDC Work Programme
The NWP Synthesis on Climate Change and Freshwater
Resources (developed in collaboration with GWP)
United Nations FCCC/TP/2011/5 Technical Paper on
Water & Climate Change impact and adaptation
strategies (dated 22/11/2011)
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Discussions:
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Nowhere ... or weakly within various sectors
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Article 4 paragraph 1(e) of the Convention
...commits Parties to “develop and
elaborate appropriate and integrated
plans coastal zone management, water
resources and agriculture, and for the
protection and rehabilitation of areas,
particularly in Africa, affected by
drought and desertification, as well a
floods.”
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Implementation of the NWP
 Scope of work under the NWP is categorized into
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2 thematic areas:Impacts and vulnerability: entails
Methodologies & tools for vulnerability assessments, etc
Exchange & access to observation data and monitoring
Promote understanding of info on socio-econ aspects
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Adaptation planning and action:
Promote dissemination of methods & tools
Info on practical adaptation action + indigenous knowledge
Tools for econ diversification, resilience & reducing reliance
on vulnerable economic sectors, etc
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What does the NWP seek to achieve?
 The NWP aims to assist all Parties, in particular DCs,
including the LDCs and Small Island Developing States,
to improve their understanding and assessment of
impacts, vulnerability and adaptation;
and
 To assist all Parties to make informed decisions on
practical adaptation actions and measures to respond
to climate change on a sound scientific, technical and
socio-economic basis, taking into account current and
future climate change and variability.
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Structured according to 9 areas of work
 Methods & tools,
 Data & observation,
 Climate modelling, scenarios & downscaling
 Climate related risks and extremes
 Socio-economic information
 Adaptation planning and practices
 Research
 Technology for adaptation
 Economic diversification
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What has been done/achieved?
A number of expert workshops were organised
 Various organisations and relevant institutions
were invited to contribute info to the NWP

 Submit info/experiences to the UNFCCC secretariat
 Fund research that support
the objectives of NWP
 To date, 19 organisations & 56 pledges
 That is knowledge base has been provided on
continuous basis, intended for support to all
Parties in general, but DC, LDCs & SIDSs in
particular
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Progress or examples of what
implementation under the NWP entails
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Progress regarding implementation activities of
the NWP (has been reported since 2008)
Action pledges by various organisations - e.g. UNDP:
developing country-level climate profiles
FAO – assisting Nigeria to assess adaptation
requirements in the agricultural sector
Met Office of UK developed climate scenarios in
support of the Nairobi Work Programme, etc
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Water & NWP
 It is quite clear that the NWP is currently the only
Programme within the UNFCCC that is markedly
water related
 However, it is neither only about water nor
directly addressing policy related issues on water
 The programme broadly supports adaptation
action
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Cancun Adaptation Framework at COP16
COP16 by its Decision 1/CP.16 paragraph 14(a)
• Makes specific reference to water resources,
freshwater, marine ecosystems and coastal
zones in the context of “planning, prioritizing,
and implementing adaptation actions,
including projects and programmes ...”
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However,
 The NWP is limited to measures & tools
 Adaptation–mitigation linkages, and other water resource
management issues (e.g. regulatory, use, etc) are missing
 Water is key to successful mitigation action
 Aim: to make water integral part of climate agenda
 GWP advocates for inclusion of water on COP agenda

Hence, based on Art 4(1)e of the Convention
 Cancun agreement on “planning, prioritizing and
implementing adaptation actions, including projects and
programmes, inter alia, in the areas of water resources”
 This led to a call for water programme under UNFCCC to
be established through SBSTA in Bonn (June 2011)
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Water & NWP
In Bonn,
 Some role players brought in other issues onto
the table thus disabling the chance for water
to be considered for discussion
 Others used the relationship between NWP
and Water to suggest that Water could be
addressed under or within the Nairobi Work
Programme
 Perhaps the challenge is whether there was a
formal agreement on water as an agenda item
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The latest on NWP
 The revision of the NWP, aims to strengthen it
by improving action oriented approach with
links to national and sub-national programmes
 The question is whether given the design and
objective of the Nairobi Work Programme, it
can (or not) accommodate water issues raised
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If WATER were to be an agenda item,
 Some of the
intended functions would be
 Policy principle: Guide technical & policy expertise on
water (as it relates to both mitigation and adaptation)
 Finance: Guide access to Green Climate Fund and other
financial mechanisms under the Convention on the
allocation of financial resources for water management,
 Coherence: Interface between water-related policy,
practice and science, and other issues, processes and
mechanisms under the UNFCCC
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THANK YOU
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