UNFCCC COP25
The 25th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) will take place in Madrid, Spain from 2-13 December 2019. The conference will take place under the Presidency of the Government of Chile and will be held with logistical support from the Government of Spain. The events of COP25 will take place at IFEMA - Feria de Madrid.
The central aim of COP25 will be to raise the level of ambition for both mitigation and adaptation actions. COP25 will encourage concrete climate action with an emphasis on including all parties, ranging from governance to the scientific community to the private sector.
In addition to the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties, the climate change conference will also include meetings of other UN bodies and frameworks such as the CMP, SBSTA, SBI, and CMA.
More information will be added to this webpage as it becomes available. Check back often for updates. For more details, you can also visit the official UNFCCC COP25 website here.
Guidance Documents & Policy Briefs
The AGWA Policy Group continues to push for greater integration of resilient water management approaches within the global climate change agenda. In advance of COP25, AGWA has prepared some policy briefs and guidance documents for policy and decision makers.
Watering the NDCs: National Climate Planning for 2020 and beyond--How water-aware climate policies can strengthen climate change mitigation & adaptation goals. Through a crowdsourcing effort including national, sectoral, and civil society partners from more than 100 countries, AGWA has created a new guidance and planning document for integrating water into our climate responses. Watering the NDCs provides guiding principles and recommendations for national climate planners and decision-makers to help ensure they meet their goals set out in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The report is designed to help Parties consider the reality of their water management across sectors, while working towards robust and flexible solutions able to withstand the effects of climate change.
Source-to-sea management is key to climate security. In this policy brief from SIWI and AGWA, you will learn about how source-to-sea management is an important approach for both climate mitigation and adaptation. It draws on a new study which indicates that many countries see a need for such enhanced coordination in their climate actions.
Valuing Wetlands: An Untapped Resource for Achieving a 1.5 Degree Future. High-carbon ecosystems such as wetlands offer vast potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation, plus numerous co-benefits and ecosystem services that support livelihoods, sustainable local economies and wellbeing. This issue brief includes a set of key messages and policy recommendations for more properly valuing wetlands in national climate policies. The briefing document is based upon a forthcoming report from AGWA and Wetlands International.
Adaptation’s Thirst: Accelerating the Convergence of Water and Climate Action. A new Water Background Paper has been prepared under the leadership of AGWA and IWMI as part of a series designed to inform the Global Commission on Adaptation's 2019 flagship report. The goal of this Water Background Paper is to demonstrate that climate-resilient water management should be the unifying agenda for water and climate change adaptation.
Water Events at COP25
COP25 will feature hundreds of official and unofficial events. Below we are highlighting events that emphasize the importance of water in the climate negotiations. AGWA, SIWI, and Policy Group members are contributing to a number of these. Others are organized by various members of the water community. The list of events will be updated as more details are confirmed.
AGWA has been involved in the planning processes with the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA). The MPGCA will conduct a series of events during COP25, including High Level Action Events, roundtables, and more. The detailed schedule of MPGCA events is available here.
The overview schedule for COP25 is available through the UNFCCC site here. From there you can also find other helpful links for the venue map, webcasts, and more. The UNFCCC has released the official list of side events online here. Lastly, our colleagues at the #ClimateIsWater campaign will be hosting an exhibition space from 2-3 December in Hall 4.
Sunday, 1 Dec.
Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM) Review Event
As part of the modalities for 2019 review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage at the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference, the WIM is organizing an all-day event on Sunday 1 December at the main conference venue. The event is open for registered participants of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25), though interested parties are asked to RSVP using the link below in order to help structure discussions.
When: Sunday, 1 December; time to be determined
Venue: COP25 Venue, IFEMA Feria de Madrid
Organizers: WIM
Link to Register: Organizers ask that you register online here to indicate your participation
Monday, 2 Dec.
Avoiding loss of high-carbon soils through peatland mapping and monitoring for climate action
Peatlands hold the largest terrestrial soil organic carbon stock. To avoid rapid decrease of carbon storage by peatland drainage, it is essential to know their location in advanced national peatland maps. These serve as solid base for policy frameworks (NDCs), land use planning and status monitoring. A new brief on peatlands mapping and monitoring will be launched at the event.
When: Monday, 2 December; 16:45-18:15
Venue: Room 1
Organizers: Global Environment Centre (GEC), Greifswald Mire Centre, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), FAO, Hokkaido University, UN Environment Programme
Tuesday, 3 Dec.
Watering the NDCs: Water-smart climate policies for improving NDC ambition and outcomes
Water is implicitly embedded in nearly all climate change plans and activities: from alternative energy generation to shifting agricultural production to planning ahead for increased flood or drought risks. Yet we know that many regions of the world face increasing water variability - in terms of both timing and amount of water - throwing into question countries' abilities to act on their climate ambitions and address their climate risks if water is not taken into consideration. Failure to take this approach in addressing water in the context of the NDCs and other climate plans risks sectoral conflict between water users and increased social and economic disruption, political conflict and ecological damage. For these reasons, it is essential that water is addressed in a holistic and cross-sectoral manner throughout national climate plans.
While these risks are real, investing in and implementing resilient water management approaches can turn these water risks into climate solutions. Water has the ability to help countries meet mitigation and adaptation goals through the implementation of cross-sectoral water allocation and governance systems and investment in resilient water infrastructure. Tools and methodologies for resilient water management exist now and are being implemented in a variety of geographic contexts and at multiple scales. This event will bring together experts and organizations to present a concise set of principles and guidelines for how to identify and address water as an enabling component rather than a constraint or source of conflict in NDCs.
When: Tuesday, 3 December; 09:00-10:00
Venue: NDC Partnership Pavilion (Hall 6)
Organizers: AGWA, Global Water Partnership, IWMI, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, TNC