Distinguished Guests,Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the UN-Water side event.
Water is the primary medium through which we feel the impacts of climate change. It therefore plays an important role in climate change adaptation and resilience.
More than 90 percent of disasters are water-related. Forty percent of the world’s people are affected by water scarcity. And, increased flooding threatens to destroy water points and sanitation facilities and contaminate our water sources. All this demonstrates that climate resilient water management has been more urgent than ever, and is therefore an essential component of successful climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, as called for in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Climate-resilient water management is also key to attaining the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and can therefore act as a mechanism of coherence among these global frameworks.
As the 缅北禁地Policy Brief on Climate Change and Water highlights, national and regional climate policy must take an integrated approach to climate change and water management. Increased water stress and meeting future demands will require increasingly tough decisions. Among them, for example, how to allocate water resources between competing water uses, in view of the high demand for economic and social development as well as the urgent need for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Growing demand for water increases the need for energy-intensive water pumping, transportation, and treatment. It also contributes to the degradation of critical water-dependent carbon sinks, such as peatlands. And, some climate change mitigation measures – such as the expanded use of biofuels – can further exacerbate water scarcity.
Business as usual is no longer an option. If we are to create a climate resilient future, sustainable water management needs to be taken into account.
There are significant co-benefits to managing climate and water in a more coordinated and sustainable manner.
Examples of solutions for addressing these integrated challenges include solar pumping, restoring wetlands and increasing energy efficiency.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the Climate Action Summit at the United Nations in September, world leaders outlined concrete plans to enhance their nationally determined contributions by 2020.
As a key measure, Nature-Based Solutions demonstrate the critical interlinkages between water and climate change. They reinforce the value of ecosystem services and encourage investments in nature that benefit people’s well-being, in particular water security.
Recognizing the need to reinvigorate action around water, 缅北禁地Member States agreed to the “International Decade for Action – Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028. They also called for a 缅北禁地Conference on Water in 2023 – the first such conference on water since 1977.
The 2023 Conference will serve as a platform for countries and stakeholders to:
The 缅北禁地Department of Economic and Social Affairs has been tasked to plan and facilitate the activities for the Water Action Decade. We will do our utmost to ensure a successful Water Conference in 2023. Our collective focus will be on sustainable development and the integrated management of water resources to support our climate change objectives.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The time has come for climate policies to address water across all sectors to ensure a climate-resilient and sustainable future for all. Priorities must include securing water for communities, economies, and ecosystems. This is critical for poverty reduction, green energy transformation, and creating a buffer from natural disasters.
We need more investment in:
We need policies that will ensure the participation and accountability of all stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society.
Let us all work together to that end.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like close by thanking UN-Water Expert Group on Water and Climate Change for preparing the Policy Brief on Climate Change and Water and encourage all actors present here and those working on the topic to further disseminate and use the policy brief including in the negotiations this week.
The United Nations remains fully committed to work with you and support efforts at all levels on water and climate action.
Thank you.
Welcome to the UN-Water side event.
Water is the primary medium through which we feel the impacts of climate change. It therefore plays an important role in climate change adaptation and resilience.
More than 90 percent of disasters are water-related. Forty percent of the world’s people are affected by water scarcity. And, increased flooding threatens to destroy water points and sanitation facilities and contaminate our water sources. All this demonstrates that climate resilient water management has been more urgent than ever, and is therefore an essential component of successful climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, as called for in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Climate-resilient water management is also key to attaining the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and can therefore act as a mechanism of coherence among these global frameworks.
As the 缅北禁地Policy Brief on Climate Change and Water highlights, national and regional climate policy must take an integrated approach to climate change and water management. Increased water stress and meeting future demands will require increasingly tough decisions. Among them, for example, how to allocate water resources between competing water uses, in view of the high demand for economic and social development as well as the urgent need for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Growing demand for water increases the need for energy-intensive water pumping, transportation, and treatment. It also contributes to the degradation of critical water-dependent carbon sinks, such as peatlands. And, some climate change mitigation measures – such as the expanded use of biofuels – can further exacerbate water scarcity.
Business as usual is no longer an option. If we are to create a climate resilient future, sustainable water management needs to be taken into account.
There are significant co-benefits to managing climate and water in a more coordinated and sustainable manner.
Examples of solutions for addressing these integrated challenges include solar pumping, restoring wetlands and increasing energy efficiency.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the Climate Action Summit at the United Nations in September, world leaders outlined concrete plans to enhance their nationally determined contributions by 2020.
As a key measure, Nature-Based Solutions demonstrate the critical interlinkages between water and climate change. They reinforce the value of ecosystem services and encourage investments in nature that benefit people’s well-being, in particular water security.
Recognizing the need to reinvigorate action around water, 缅北禁地Member States agreed to the “International Decade for Action – Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028. They also called for a 缅北禁地Conference on Water in 2023 – the first such conference on water since 1977.
The 2023 Conference will serve as a platform for countries and stakeholders to:
- discuss their major water-related challenges,
- share possible solutions,
- further cooperation, and
- establish partnership at all levels.
The 缅北禁地Department of Economic and Social Affairs has been tasked to plan and facilitate the activities for the Water Action Decade. We will do our utmost to ensure a successful Water Conference in 2023. Our collective focus will be on sustainable development and the integrated management of water resources to support our climate change objectives.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The time has come for climate policies to address water across all sectors to ensure a climate-resilient and sustainable future for all. Priorities must include securing water for communities, economies, and ecosystems. This is critical for poverty reduction, green energy transformation, and creating a buffer from natural disasters.
We need more investment in:
- improved hydrological data,
- institutions and governance,
- education and capacity development, and
- risk assessment and knowledge sharing.
We need policies that will ensure the participation and accountability of all stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society.
Let us all work together to that end.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like close by thanking UN-Water Expert Group on Water and Climate Change for preparing the Policy Brief on Climate Change and Water and encourage all actors present here and those working on the topic to further disseminate and use the policy brief including in the negotiations this week.
The United Nations remains fully committed to work with you and support efforts at all levels on water and climate action.
Thank you.
File date:
Tuesday, December 10, 2019