UK announces funding for just transition through water
Today the UK government committed to a climate resilient future through water with funding for the Just Transition for Water Security programme. AGWA is a proud founding partner of the programme and welcomes the acceleration of ensuring water’s role in building climate resilience.
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (10 DECEMBER 2023)
Today at COP28 Minister Mitchell announced up to £39 million of new funding to help manage water resources responsibly for the future. The Just Transition for Water Security programme will receive some of this funding to continue its work to improve the management of water resources for a resilient future.
“UK funding set out today will support water resilient supply chains, and boost investments to ensure this basic and vital source of life is available to vulnerable communities on the frontline of climate change.”
-Andrew Mitchell, International Development and Africa Minister, United Kingdom
The Global Stocktake showed that countries are falling short on their NDCs with much progress needed to build the resilience of economies, societies and ecosystems in a rapidly changing climate. This just, resilient transition can be achieved through water security. The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) being negotiated at COP28 aims to address the global shortfall in adaptation by creating a clear framework and targets to guide global adaptation efforts. Water-based adaptation targets are essential to the success of the GGA. Water security ensures sustainability of adaptation measures and investments.
This funding will be used to provide technical assistance to governments so they can better integrate and manage their water resources for improved climate resilience and water security. Collaborative action on water will also increase climate resilience of food systems, strengthen drought and flood management and more. The Water Tracker, overseen by AGWA, is a key part of the project: offering countries a diagnostic guide to help countries self-assess and enhance water resilience in their national climate plans.
“We want to reframe water not as a threat to progress, but as a way to reimagine what development looks like. Water is an instrument to facilitate equity and inclusion, prosperity, environmental sustainability, sectoral coherence and climate resilience”
-Kelsey Harpham, Water Tracker Project Manager, AGWA
The launch of this program and support from the UK government will facilitate transformational progress towards water resilience in vulnerable countries across the globe. By leveraging our partnerships with the Resilient Water Accelerator and Fair Water Footprints, we will accelerate progress towards water security in ways that focus on systems change and build resilience in people, economies, and the eco-hydrological systems.
The Just Transitions for Water Security is a collaboration between AGWA, Resilient Water Accelerator, Fair Water Footprints, and the UK Government.
Contact info
Alex Mauroner
amauroner@alliance4water.org