SIWI’s endorsement of the COP29 Declaration on Water for Climate Action

We, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), as a leading international and independent water governance institution, recognize that water is at the heart of climate change and that the majority of climate change impacts are experienced through disruptions in the hydrological cycle.

We convene, facilitate and bring expertise to multistakeholder dialogues and partnerships among countries, regional and local entities, UN agencies, intergovernmental and multilateral organizations, CSO´s, academic institutions and researchers, the private sector, youth and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations at the international, regional and local level.

We elevate scientifically based evidence on the causes and impacts of climate change on water resources, water basins and water related ecosystems through research, knowledge generation and capacity development.

We highlight the vital role that protecting, conserving, and restoring water basins and water-related ecosystems play in delivering effective climate action for both mitigation and adaptation. We support the development and implementation of these actions, as well as resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services in order to secure access to water and sanitation for all, especially the most vulnerable.

We also support the enhancement of water-related climate policies by developing and promoting recommendations to ensure that these policies are linked with other priorities such as energy, biodiversity, food security, landscapes and human settlements, peace and security, health and nutrition. This requires decisions and policy development to be made across sectors with the necessary governance structures in place.

Alarmed that the global water cycle is rapidly changing, that the planetary boundaries for water have been surpassed, and that the global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to double by 2050, with the most vulnerable hit the hardest, SIWI supports the acceleration and deployment of water-related climate mitigation and adaptation actions for achieving the objectives of the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement, and the Decision 2/CMA.5 on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). We also confirm our commitment to support continuity and synergies between the Climate CoPs and with other global frameworks: UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular SDG 6 on securing clean water and sanitation as well as all the water related targets present in the other SDGs, the processes related to the UN Water Conferences (2023, 2026), the Water Action Agenda and the Pact for the Future.

With this in mind, we fully support the Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action and endorse the COP29 Presidency Declaration on Water for Climate Action.

We welcome the aims of:

1. Promoting dialogues and partnerships among countries at international, regional, river and basin levels. For this goal we would like to highlight the importance of involving all stakeholders by supporting the development of more robust multistakeholder engagement mechanisms and putting a strong emphasis on means to recognize, integrate and promote the perspectives and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, youth and people in vulnerable situations. It is imperative to ensure their active participation in decision-making processes and enhancing their capacities to do so.
2. Strengthening the generation of scientific evidence on the causes and impacts of climate change on water resources, water basins and water-related ecosystems. For this goal we would like to reiterate the importance of data collection and research that supports decision making processes to enable the development of coherent, just, sustainable and resilient policies. We need more quantifiable knowledge on the co-benefits and trade-offs of each decision in order to develop sound and integrated policies that can secure coherent actions, foster collaboration and cooperation and reduce risks.
3. Enhancing water-related climate policy actions. We would like to reiterate the importance here of creating strong platforms that will enable COP-to-COP collaborations that foster continuity and coherence across COPs, ensuring that water is systematically addressed in climate, biodiversity, and desertification agendas while aligning with relevant environmental goals, including building synergies with the UN-led international water agenda.

We would also like to highlight the importance of recognizing and empowering local authorities, institutions, and communities to play an active role in the implementation of national strategies and processes that ensure water and climate resilience and that sufficient human, technical and financial means are made available for the operationalization of such policies on the ground.