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Tackling the Triple Planetary Crisis: NBS for Resilience and Biodiversity

2-3:30 PM CEST

While communities worldwide are tapping into nature’s potential to support climate resilience, biodiversity and habitat loss continues at an alarming pace. Healthy freshwater ecosystems are fundamental to climate resilient development, cutting GHG emissions, and stemming biodiversity loss. This World Water Week 2022 session demonstrates nature-based solutions that are a win-win proposition for people, the economy and the planet.

Session Description:

To improve the resilience of ecosystems and communities, we must face the twin challenge of climate change and biodiversity loss. To accomplish this, we must work with natural systems, not against them. By investing in blue-green solutions, we can help address the most pressing impacts of climate change, while preserving biodiversity and protecting human wellbeing. COP26 in Glasgow built global momentum around Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for climate adaptation. The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) drives NbS implementation as set of measures to protect and restore ecosystems with the aim of bending the curve. To follow this course, guidance around NbS and the function of freshwater ecosystems to enhance climate resilience will be particularly useful on the road to COP 27 and beyond as countries begin to implement their national climate commitments. This session will discuss the role of NbS in the achievement of the Paris Agreement, the Post-2020 GBF and the 2030 Agenda. It will showcase concrete project examples from Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. It invites participants to a dialogue on how to implement and scale up NbS, including hybrid green-grey solutions, to benefit both people and nature.

Featured case studies from:

  • Nile Basin Initiative (Uganda)

  • Mutama-Bweengwa Water User Association (Zambia)

  • Sector Network of Water and Sanitation in Africa (Benin)

  • UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa

Detailed Program:

14:00-14:05 | Opening Welcome - James Dalton, Director Global Water Programme, IUCN

14:05-14:15 | Keynote Remarks - Dr. Tania Rödiger-Vorwerk, Deputy Director General Global Health, Resilience and Equality of Opportunity, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

14:15-14:22 | Integrating NbS for Resilience and Biodiversity: A U.S. perspective - Monica Medina, Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State

14:25-15:15 | Case Study Introductions and NBS Marketplace

  • TWM Nile River Basin: Dr. Michael Kizza, Deputy Executive Director of the Nile Basin Initiative

  • AWARE Zambia: Namushi Likolo, Executive Member of the Mutama-Bweengwa Water User Association

  • Integrated WASH and IWRM in Benin: Dr. Tobias Godau, Speaker of the Sector Network of Water and Sanitation in Africa and Programme Manager of a forest-related IWRM project

  • Sustainable Water & Ecosystem Management for South Africa’s Biosphere Reserves: Koen Verbist, UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa

15:15-15:30 | Wrap-up, Key Messages, and Invitation to Engage with the COP27 Water Pavilion - Online moderator & Gena Gammie, Forest Trends


Additional Case Study Resources

Accelerate Water and Agricultural Resources Efficiency (AWARE) Zambia

Enhancing Water Management in the Lower Kafue Sub Catchment through the AWARE project (video)

Restoring Zambia’s Rivers (video)

Water Resources in Zambia (video)

AWARE Overview (factsheet)

GIZ Zambia Water and Energy Cluster (Facebook)

Restoring Zambia’s rivers to build climate resilience (event video)

Sustainable Water & Ecosystem Management for South Africa’s Biosphere Reserves

UNESCO Be Resilient S. Africa (homepage)


Convenors

Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH