Climate change is accelerating even as countries across the globe devise strategies to mitigate its impacts and adapt to new normals. The effects of climate change are most acutely felt through impacts on the water cycle and water-related extreme events. In order to ensure water supply for humans and the environment while simultaneously meeting the world’s ambitious climate and development goals, decision makers and regulators will need to adopt a new paradigm for resilient water management that embraces the uncertain future ahead.
This is the first in a series of webinars under the theme of "Climate-Resilient Water Management Approaches: Adaptation in an Age of Uncertainty" organized by UNESCO’s Division of Water Sciences, the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) and the International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM).
During this webinar, participants will be introduced to bottom-up approaches for resilient water management — their evolution, their potentials for application, and examples of successful implementation. Presenters will discuss the means by which decision makers, policymakers, and even practitioners can better address uncertainties through the use of new frameworks such as Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA), published by UNESCO and ICIWaRM, and the World Bank’s Decision Tree Framework. Case studies from Thailand and Mexico will highlight key elements of these complementary approaches and the wide-ranging stakeholders involved. Following a set of presentations, participants will join the conversation through a moderated panel discussion.
Program:
Opening:
Abou Amani, Director, a.i., Division of Water Sciences, UNESCO, Secretary of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP)
Gert Verreet, Flemish Government, Department Economy Science and Innovation (EWI), Belgium
Will Logan, Director, International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM)
Speakers:
John Matthews, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA)
Guillermo Mendoza, Senior Water Resources Engineer, ICIWaRM
Sarah Freeman, Water Resources Engineer, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Moderator:
Anil Mishra, Programme Specialist, Division of Water Sciences, UNESCO
About the Webinar Series
UNESCO’s Division of Water Sciences, together with the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) and the International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM), will host a series of webinars introducing the technical and practical components of bottom-up approaches, spanning a range of topics and underscored by examples of real-world applications.
Webinars will take place on a monthly basis in the lead up to a global conference on Climate-Resilient Water Management Approaches being organized by the same institutions and tentatively set for November 2020. The webinars are intended for technical water management professionals as well as individuals working in climate / water policy and planning.
