Transcript Water Sector Side Event at COP17

water sector leadership group
WATER SECTOR SIDE EVENT AT COP17
WSLG Meeting 18 November 2011
water sector leadership group
Water….
• Is the primary way that people, especially the poor, will experience
severe CC impacts . African countries are particularly vulnerable
(climate change refugees).
• Underpins all development so CC will have a negative impact on
economic growth, livelihoods and sustainable development.
• Sector leaders internationally are only beginning to think about
climate change and water in concrete terms.
MUST be given its rightful place on the agenda of COP
17 and future COPs… this is a political, social and economic
imperative for African and other developing countries!
water sector leadership group
Mitigation and ADAPTATION
• World leaders need to focus on mitigation- the primary focus of
COP. We need to highlight mitigation strategies that are water
intensive and exacerbate water issues.
• But we cannot focus solely on mitigation! A nation and its people’s
ability to adapt, particularly to water challenges, is critical for
survival.
• Adaptation funding is a key issue on the COP agenda, so there is
scope for SA to provide ideas on utilising these funds.
• Water must be central to negotiations and decisions on adaptation
approaches.
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Side Event Motivation
• Motivation came from WSLG and its EXCO , same call
made by AMCOW
• Multi-stakeholder session to highlight and gain support
for the integration of water into the climate change
negotiations
• Will reach decision makers by feeding into AMCOW’s
Water Climate Development Day and the dialogue of
Ministers of Water & Environment
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Overview of the Side Event
Date: Friday 2 December, 9am-1pm
Host: the Water Sector Leadership Group, led by DWA
Invitees: local, African and global water sector practitioners and climate
change activists
Objectives:
1. Raising the significance and profile of water as central to climate change,
2. Highlighting climate change and water realities in South Africa,
3. Generating positions and strategies on water and climate change challenges from a
cross-sectoral South African and African perspective, and
4. Sharing experience and information on water and climate change initiatives and
activities (through visits to stands by a range of water sector organisations).
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Draft Programme (to be confirmed)
1. Introduction: DWA and AMCOW
2. Water and climate change in Southern Africa:
• Presentation “What we know about hydrological projections in Southern
Africa”: R. Shultz
• Presentation “Water Reconciliation Studies & Actions to Protect Water
Resources”: A. Masefield
3. Generating positions and strategies
• Presentation “Conceptual framing of climate change and water” (ending
with questions and positions for consideration/ endorsement): M. Galvin
• Input on Positions and Ideas on how to move forward: sectoral
respondents from local government, business, green economy and one
million jobs campaign, and civil society
• Open discussion
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Draft Programme (continued)
4. Sharing experience and information on initiatives and activities
• Tables with examples of what is being done and delegates have
time to circulate
5. Possible Additional Aspects
• Civil society action theatre outside room to welcome/ draw
participants
• Short video on Climate Change and Water showing as participants
arrive
• Tour to local communities engaging in water adaptation in the
afternoon
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Space for common positions to emerge
For example, the need to/for:
• ensure public systems are functional and can cope with the
additional pressure from climate change;
• improved protection of existing water resources and the
ecosystems they form part of, and agreements around the use of
shared regional sources and conflict management mechanisms;
• adaptation funds that:
– are non-profit and transformative insofar as new systems of water
management, extraction, production, distribution, consumption and
disposal are encouraged.
– cover additional costs that climate change brings to water provision
(new sources, re-enforcing infrastructure, etc.) as well as alternative
water technologies, and assistance with community based adaptation;
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Space for common positions to emerge
• expose false mitigation and adaptation solutions that have
a harmful impact on water and people’s livelihoods; and
• mitigation within water sector, such as solar pumps and
alternative waste-water treatment such as algal ponding.