New Initiatives Launched to Bring Water to the Heart of Climate Action: Takeaways from the Petersberg Climate Dialogue Satellite Event on Water

Global leaders recently convened for the twelfth Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD) with the aim of furthering multilateral cooperation around climate action in the lead up to COP26 in Glasgow. This year’s PCD included a series of virtual satellite events to complement the ministerial discussions.

On 4 May, UK’s COP26 President Designate, Alok Sharma, kicked off the Adaptation Action Coalition’s Water Launch — organized by the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) — featuring ministers from Indonesia, Malawi, Egypt, Costa Rica, The Netherlands, Guinea as the G77 Chair, and the UK. Early on, ministers shared challenges and innovations around climate change and water management from their respective countries as they highlighted the need for the Water Workstream of the Adaptation Action Coalition. 

Complementing the lineup were high-level non-state actors from IWMI, IUCN, UNDP, the Global Commission on Adaptation, WaterAid, the Asian Development Bank, Sanitation and Water for All, UNICEF, CDP, and the Adaptation Research Alliance. These presenters and panelists introduced three levers for change as means of advancing water resilience for effective climate adaptation: better information for decision-making, stronger political will, and improved financial flows.

Below are three major takeaways from the satellite event:

  • Lack of political will may be the biggest barrier to water resilience, but once prioritised there are high returns to people, nature, and growth. 

  • A new, practical “Water Tracker” tool is being launched to help countries strengthen water resilience in their national climate planning.

  • The Resilient Water Accelerator promises to use climate finance to boost private investment in the water sector from millions to billions.

Highlights from the day’s speakers will be made available shortly on the YouTube channel of UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

PolicyAGWACOP26, climate policy, Adaptation Action Coalition, Petersberg Climate Dialogue, #TrackWater4ClimateComment