Follow SIWI to COP27

On 12 November, SIWI is the co-organizer of the event Accelerating action on water and adaptation together with the governments of the Netherlands and Tajikistan to highlight how countries can work more effectively with climate adaption. The United Nations 2023 Water Conference, co-chaired by these two governments, will be a major focus of this event.

Monday 14 November is the official Water Day at COP27. SIWI is involved in the organization of the side event Water Action Day to demonstrate impactful solutions that should be replicated and scaled up. The event is co-organized together with the High-Level Climate Champions and the International Water management institute (IWMI).

Join SIWI’s experts as they will be sharing knowledge about practical climate solutions in several sessions. See below for more information.

The rapid degradation of nature causes loss of biodiversity and increases global warming. It is also a major driver of poverty since it triggers crop failure and makes people more vulnerable to floods, droughts, and other impacts of climate change. Nature-based solutions can play an important role to reverse these trends. There are many powerful water-related climate solutions that work with nature to provide multiple benefits, including poverty reduction, greenhouse gas sequestration, and protection from the impacts of global warming.

The climate crisis is one of main drivers of the current rise in hunger in many parts of the world, but the situation can be greatly improved through greater investments in improved management of water. This is especially true in Sub-Saharan Africa where most smallholders rely on rainfed agriculture. Relatively modest levels of investments would make it possible for smallholder farmers to strengthen their water management and become more resilient to dry spells and other extreme weather events.

One of the best ways to improve people’s resilience to climate shocks is to ensure that everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. Countries need to do more to ensure that water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services are adapted to withstand stress caused by extreme weather events and other climate shocks. Improving access to WASH in schools, health care facilities, institutions, and different public spaces will increase the quality of education and health care and is especially important for disadvantaged groups.

Climate risks and the degradation of nature are two of the most important drivers of poverty, but the situation can be alleviated through improved management of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine systems. Done right, this will restore healthy ecosystems, and foster collaboration both upstream-downstream and across sectors, with great benefits for the environment, economy, and local communities. Source-to-sea management can help us address many of society’s greatest water-related challenges, including climate change, water, and food insecurity, marine pollution, and the degradation of nature. National governments must incentivize and implement this kind of holistic source-to-sea management.