A coalition of nations, river basin organisations, business and civil society have announced the creation of the international Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation to make water systems more resilient to climate impacts.
The Water Resilience Focus event at COP21, under the Lima to Paris Action Agenda on climate change, is addressing how to make river basins, lakes, aquifers and deltas more resilient to climate change and reduce human interference with oceans.
Climate changes, coupled with unsustainable use of water, are causing widespread impacts on societies and economies, creating droughts, floods and warming which affect all water systems and trigger negative impacts. Without improved water resources management, progress towards poverty reduction targets and sustainable development will be jeopardised.
The major collaborative projects under the Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation represent over US$20M in technical assistance and potentially over US$1B in financing. They include:
• The launch of a ten-year investment plan to strengthen resilience to climate change in the Niger River basin with financial support from the World Bank/IDA, WAEMU, KfW, GEF and nine supporting countries.
• A seven-year commitment under the Mediterranean Water Platform to assess the state and trends of water resources in Jordan, Lebanon, Monaco, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia, supported by the European commission.
• In Morocco, a project to increase resilience of the agriculture sector through improved irrigation practice, with financing from IBRD and the Kingdom of Morocco.
• A four-year collaboration to improve management of water resources and water services in the Mexico Valley.
• In Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia there will be a three-year commitment to a financial mechanism for adaptation to climate change in river basins, supported by the European commission.
• A three-year commitment to improve management of the Hai river basin in China, supported by France.
• The launch of a hydrological and meteorological monitoring programme benefiting over 160M citizens in central Africa in the Basin of Congo, with financing from AFD.
• Coastal risk management and adaptation: solutions to rising sea levels, coastal erosion, flooding and extreme climate.
The Lima-Paris Action Agenda is a joint undertaking of the Peruvian and French COP presidencies, the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the UNFCCC Secretariat. It aims to strengthen climate action throughout 2015, at COP21 in December and beyond.
