Momentum for Interlinked UN Events: UN 2023 Water Conference and COP28

Guest blog from Dani Gaillard-Picher, AGWA member and water and global processes unaffiliated expert.

I’m going to elaborate on three questions about linking the UN 2023 Water Conference to COP28:

1.     How do we do that?

2.     What do we articulate that linkage around?

3.     Who needs to be involved?

First, I think it’s important not to think about outcomes from the UN 2023 Water Conference feeding directly into the COP28 process because those outcomes are probably not going to be fit for purpose. Instead, we need to envisage the overall systemic change that we are aiming for in the area of water and climate and then break it down into smaller, stepwise pieces to get there. The international agenda is such that we have multiple opportunities to come together, take stock, realign, and pursue action as a long-term change process.

How:

The pathway from UN 2023 to COP28 has what could be several almost monthly stepping-stone events:

  • It seems to me that the UNFCCC SB inter-sessional meetings in June in Bonn are the ideal place to sow seeds of cooperation with parties and stakeholders around specific water action for climate committed at UN 2023 that can grow and be harvested in Dubai.  

  • The HLPF will review SDG 6 in July, but it will also review the SDGs on affordable and clean energy, the industry, innovation and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities, and, as always, partnerships. Could we envisage discussions between and across all these SDGs at the HLPF that would generate mutual benefits for their simultaneous achievement, under the overarching threat of climate change? If we take a close look at the countries that have registered Voluntary National Reviews, which I know are maybe not ideal, we already see the shape of some of the broader systemic issues that need to be addressed. These include monitoring, finance, and geographic disparities that could unite these communities to find common solutions together.

  • Next, the World Water Week in Stockholm in August could provide a platform to bring together the communities who have committed to advancing the UN 2023 outcomes together regularly through the end of the Decade for Action and 2030. It could also be an opportunity to take stock of progress and outcomes in the global arena and provide space to coordinate and align institutional and organizational priorities, move towards a common horizon, and design collective input into the following year’s major processes, such as the HLPF or the COP.

  • Then we have just heard about the UNGA SDG Summit and Summit of the Future in September, which also happens in conjunction with New York Climate Week

  • Sendai mid-term review

  • October World Bank Annual meetings

  • Sanitation and Water for All Finance Ministers meeting

  • And let’s not forget regional opportunities, such as the societal dialogues of the Commission on the Economics of Water and others.

What:

So that leads us to the next question, which is: what do we want to achieve at COP28 and how do we design that pathway in smaller, more manageable steps, using a language that speaks to climate specialists and can be integrated into existing UNFCCC mechanisms?

The concept note that will serve to frame the discussion for the interactive dialogue on climate, resilience and the environment at UN 2023 is still being refined and working group members are striving to formulate actions in this domain that can be considered clear outcomes of UN 2023 Water Conference through the Water Action Agenda.

The recommendations formulated in the first draft refer essentially to the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework: Financing, data and information, capacity development, innovation, and governance. It evokes reducing water-related hazards and threats such as flooding, drought, and pollution, and reduces the resulting biodiversity loss. Frankly, we’ve heard a lot of that before.

The note also evokes more specific action related to, for example:

  • the SG’s Early Warning Systems for the initiative

  • the creation of a Global Water Information System or a science-based mechanism like the IPCC but specifically for water

  • the promotion of nature-based solutions and systemic, whole-of-society approaches to risk-informed and adaptive governance to reduce vulnerability

  • the enhancement of policy and regulatory environments to spark innovation and create support for green jobs and a skilled workforce

  • and the adoption of global standards for ecosystem accounting.

It also encourages ensuring convergence between international processes — building on, connecting, and strengthening water-related decisions at global international fora.

What I don’t see reflected in this framing note is an understanding of how the UNFCCC works. There is no mention of NDCs, NAPs, stock-takes, long-term strategies, or the global goal of adaptation, where water action that will increase climate resilience can be prioritized. What could be useful, for example, would be to encourage national climate risk assessment frameworks to take a water-centric approach, for key institutions to be able to measure and manage resilience trade-offs. It could be interesting to consider how the Loss and Damage Fund might best support long-term climate and water resilience for affected populations.

The note does not recognize issues of accountability of governments to enforce regulations, especially for polluters. It doesn’t address the importance of urban planning and local and regional authorities in the implementation of national strategies, where adaptation capacity, resilience, and vulnerability look very different from one place to another. It tackles some aspects of financing but doesn’t evoke issues of poor disbursement of funding which is hindering progress. It doesn’t acknowledge that countries do not have equivalent access to resources to make things happen. It doesn’t prioritize the empowerment of women, youth, and disadvantaged populations who are more vulnerable to climate change and disasters and are more severely disadvantaged. So, in my opinion, there is still some work to be done to refine the “what” in a way that is truly transformational and can be integrated into COP processes, and I trust there will be improvements in the final version which will be available in the coming weeks. This will also depend on the Country chairs and panelists who are nominated to lead this discussion and the rapporteurs who will formulate the outcomes of the dialogue.

So on to the Who:

The simple answer is that all of us have a shared responsibility to act and create influence.

The United Nations, an organizer of the UN 2023 Water Conference, is expected to follow up on the outcomes of the conference and monitor their progress. Unfortunately, many of the problems that were already identified in 1977 still exist today, so we will all have to be diligent about ensuring that the conference outcomes are followed-up on and succeed. The UN will need the ongoing support of other organizations and the goodwill and agency of all those who have committed to action through the Water Action Agenda to operationalize it, especially in terms of scaling and replicating action. 

Importantly, the UN conference has the potential to create the political space to talk about water at the global level and engender more political commitment in favor of water action as a higher priority. Countries and stakeholders across the world need to enhance the political priority for water because all other progress is dependent on its availability. So, we will need to foster water leadership and more political champions to be vocal about the importance of water security for sustainable development. To this end, the proposal for the creation of a UN Water Envoy, which already has the support of over 140 countries, could be a valuable outcome of the UN 2023 Water Conference.

As a certain young Swedish climate activist reminded us, the house is on fire. I will leave you with one last thought: We are all the stewards of the water that can put out that fire, if we commit now, together, to ambitious and ongoing collective action.

Thank you very much.

 

Dani Gaillard-Picher

Water and global processes unaffiliated expert.

PolicyAGWAUN 2023, COP281 Comment