Follow SIWI to COP26
Several experts from SIWI are attending the climate conference COP26, advocating for powerful water-related climate solutions. We will be broadcasting live from the first-ever Water and Climate Pavilion at a COP. Learn more about how you can follow us online.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 is taking place in Glasgow between 31 October and 12 November. It is being hailed as one of the most important climate meetings ever, with all countries expected to ratchet up their climate action plans so that global temperatures will not rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“SIWI will have a strong presence at COP26 because we want to make governments and others aware of the crucial role of water for climate action,” explains SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren who is leading the SIWI delegation at COP26. “There are for instance powerful water-related solutions that enable countries to strengthen their resilience to climate change and increase nature’s ability to store carbon”.
SIWI will present the case for this in conversation with country delegates at COP26 and in a Water Pavilion at the event, led by SIWI with 32 participating organizations, 100 sessions and 11 water-related themes. The Pavilion will also have a digital interface so that people across the world can also take part. Tune into waterforclimate.net or SIWI’s Youtube channel to take part. The times indicated below could change, you will always find the latest schedule at waterforclimate.net. Please note that times below are CET whereas the Water Pavilion schedule will be adjusted to your current time zone.
You can also follow the conversation with the hashtag #Water4Climate
Here are some SIWI-related activities to tune into:
1 November, Monday – OPENING DAY
09:30 – 10:40 CET Opening ceremony of the Water Pavilion
Water’s role in unlocking net zero and climate challenges. How COP26 can deliver integrated climate, water, and development solutions. SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren opens the Water Pavilion at this launch event which will set the scene for all the water activities in the coming two weeks.
AGWA, CDP, GWP, IUCN, SIWI, Water UK, and AWS
Keynote: Lord Deben, Chair of the Climate Change Committee (UK).
11:15 – 12:00 CET The Race to Zero and Resilience, unleashing water’s power
A series of events building content from action plans and route maps in place across different water sectors worldwide to set the scene for COP26. Our aim is to demonstrate water’s fundamental role in supporting international efforts against climate change and building resilience.
Water UK and partners
15:00 – 16:30 CET Water and Mitigation: From Science to Practice
This event is moderated by Torgny Holmgren and aims to raise awareness of the often underestimated role of water in climate mitigation. In the session, SIWI’s Dr. Malin Lundberg Ingemarsson will share insights from new research on the potential of water-related mitigation solutions. Her SIWI colleague David Hebart-Coleman will update us on how countries are currently implementing water in their climate action plans. We will also hear from IUCN, UNDP, UNICEF, Xylem and the new Water Initiative for Net Zero, founded by Jon Lane who heads SIWI’s Scientific Programme Committee.
SIWI, UNICEF, 50L Home Coalition, and Xylem
2 November, Tuesday – FINANCE
09:00 – 09:45 CET Climate finance to support adaptation of basic services and build community resilience: water, sanitation, and hygiene
SIWI’s Dr. Alejandro Jiménez will participate in a panel discussion on why water, sanitation and hygiene tend to be forgotten in discussions on resilience and climate adaptation. How can we ensure that WASH becomes an important aspect of climate policy?
SWA, UNICEF, Wateraid, Water.org, the Government of the Netherlands, the Government of the United Kingdom
4 November – NATURE
09:00 – 09:30 CET Opening session: Water-wise nature-based solutions to turn climate risks into opportunities for action
SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren will be speaking in the opening session to draw attention to the underutilized tool of nature-based solutions.
10:00 – 11:00 CET Hope comes out of the blue: Inspiring climate action from source to sea
We are co-hosting a session on the source-to-sea methodology to increase the impact of climate action. At this event, moderated by SIWI’s Ruth Mathews, you will meet the United Nations’ Special Envoy for the Oceans Peter Thomson and IMF’s Assistant Director Ralph Chami.
Action Platform for Source-to-Sea Management (S2S Platform), SIWI, UNDP, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Marine Conservation Society, Whale and Dolphin Conservation
12:30 – 13:30 CET Design and planning of nature-based solutions to address climate change
SIWI and other organizations offer a session on making better use of nature-based solutions. You will meet SIWI’s Landscapes expert Lotta Samuelson, as well as representatives from ARCC (part of the Peruvian government), Arup Gleeds Mace, FAO, GIZ, IUCN, IWMI, Stockholm Resilience Centre, the UNDP-SIWI Water Governance Facility, UNEP, and the UK Government Department of International Trade.
5 November – YOUTH
14:30 – 15:30 CET Today’s choices, Tomorrow’s Impact – Youth Action in the Water and Climate Nexus
SIWI’s Youth Empowerment focal point will be participating in this dialogue on issues, challenges as well as pathways for youth contribution and collaboration in building resilience in climate through water.
Global Water Partnership (GWP) International Secretariat for Water (ISW), World Youth Parliament for Water, GWP CEE, OoskaNews
6 NOVEMBER
10:00 – 12:30 CET Adaption: Building adaptive capacity through climate resilient water, sanitation and hygiene solutions
SIWI’s Water and Sanitation expert, Robin Ward, will give a presentation on breaking down water sector silos for climate action
12.40 – 14.10 CET Policy, Accountability and Monitoring: Needs and opportunities for water, sanitation and hygiene
SIWI’s Director of Water and Sanitation, Alejandro Jiménez PhD will moderate a panel on WASH integration in climate planning
SIWI will moderate this session which will explore the important contribution that drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) makes to climate mitigation, and through case studies. This session will present a menu of opportunities for policy makers and practitioners that can help contribute to countries meeting their mitigation targets.
SIWI, UNICEF, WaterAid, IWMI
11 NOVEMBER, Thursday – CITIES & INFRASTRUCTURE
16:45 – 18:00 CET Adaptation and resilience in urban water: Lessons from practice
SIWI’s Panchali Saikia will be moderating but also sharing experiences from the City Water Resilience Approach.
Arup, RS, WRI, RCN, Wateraid, SIWI, IWA, WSUP, GIZ
SIWI at COP
To address the climate crisis effectively, the world needs to focus on water solutions. SIWI is bringing this message to the climate meeting COP26 where we are hosting the first-ever Water Pavilion with partners – and you are invited to join us.
Join us at COP26
