16:00-17:30 EET (UTC +2)
Cairo Water Week 2022
Abdeen Ballroom, The Nile Ritz Carlton, Cairo
Water is at the heart of climate action, and building a just, inclusive, and climate-resilient future is not possible without reliable, safe, and accessible water resources.
Over the past year, the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) and its partners have been working under the Adaptation Action Coalition (AAC) water workstream to co-develop a new tool to enhance water resilience in national climate plans, “the Water Tracker for National Climate Planning.” The Water Tracker is currently being piloted in several African countries, including Egypt, Malawi, Uganda, and Rwanda.
This side event at Cairo Water Week 2022 will bring together representatives from the region and beyond, including civil society organizations and local experts in a technical dialogue to showcase the work of the AAC on water and climate resilience. The event will demonstrate the value of combining local solutions with global methodologies to ensure a future that is both climate-resilient and water-secure for people, ecosystems, and economies.
The objective of the workshop is to foster a collaborative dialogue around innovative approaches for water-centric adaptation in Africa in the run-up to COP27. This event will support multiple themes of Cairo Water Week, including Topic 1.5 Water Governance and Policy Planning, Topic 3.1 Mainstreaming Climate Change Strategies into Development Plans, Topic 4.3 Integrated Water and Climate Approach, and Topic 4.5 Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: case studies.
The expected outcomes of the session are enhanced knowledge and capacity around the implementation of water-centric adaptation approaches in Africa and to feed into the discussions on water and climate adaptation at COP27 and the 2023 UN Water Conference. The workshop will also increase awareness of the Water Tracker tool and how it can support effective climate action aligned with Paris Agreement goals.
Draft Program:
16:00 - 16:10 | Welcoming Remarks - Gillian Keegan MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Africa)
16:10 – 16:20 | African Context for Climate Resilience - Simon Thuo, AGWA
16:20 - 16:25 | Background on the AAC Water Tracker - Jonty Rawlins, AGWA
16:25 - 16:35 | Keynote: the Water Tracker for Innovative Adaptation in Egypt - Dr. Eman Sayed, Head of Planning Sector, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt
16:35 – 16:55 | Panel Discussion: Water Resilience through Climate Planning
Dr. Max Wengawenga, Malawi Ministry of Water and Sanitation
Ms Salam Abu Hantash, Palestinian Water Authority
- Moderated by Jonty Rawlins, AGWA
16:55 – 17:10 | Q&A with the audience - Moderated by Jonty Rawlins, AGWA
17:10 – 17:20 | Session Summary and looking ahead to UN2023 - Mr. Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands
17:20 – 17:30 | Regional leadership in the lead up to COP27 and beyond - H.E. Minister Swailem, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt
About Cairo Water Week:
Cairo Water Week will be held on 16th-19th October 2022 with the theme “Water at the Heart of Climate Action”. The conference is hosted by the Egyptian Government and will serve as a preparatory platform for COP27.
AGWA will be sending two of its Country Engagement Specialists, Jonty Rawlins and Simon Thuo, to take part in the conference.