Recommendations: Towards a Water and Climate Alliance

The Dialogue on Water and Climate has started an alliance of local, national, basin and regional initiatives. On the basis of lessons learned from the 18 Dialogues, the international organisations that have been part of the Dialogue intend to continue building bridges between the climate and water communities. It is proposed that an Associate Programme of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) should be the mechanism for supporting the ongoing and new activities following on from DWC. This programme will include promoting and facilitating capacity building at all levels, assistance to countries in obtaining technical and financial support for adaptation plans, and continuous advocacy for relaxation of GEF rules to accommodate national adaptation plans that respond to the accelerating hydrological cycle. The recommended follow-up activities have implications at all levels. They are set out in tabular form alongside, identifying the need for action at basin, country and regional level, and the types of external support needed to make the most of national adaptation strategies.

Rationale

DIALOGUES
The 18 dialogues at the national, basin and regional level have shown that bringing together different stakeholders from the government, private sector, NGOs and the information/knowledge sector does stimulate a process to start up awareness raising, information collection and sharing, and preparations for action on the impacts of climate change and increasing climate variability in the water sector.
NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLANS OF ACTION (NAPAs)
The NAPA for LDCs and National Communications for non-LDCs of the UNFCCC, which are eligible for support by the GEF LDC Adaptation Fund provide a useful mechanism for adaptation plans, but GEF support is limited to climate-change impacts and excludes climate-variability impacts. To be relevant to the water sector, the NAPAs should also include adaptation to increasing climate variability.
VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT
Top-down scenario-based model studies for assessment of national vulnerability to climate change are fairly well developed, relatively easily accessible and frequently used. Grassroots-level tools to assess the vulnerability of particular communities, cities, ecosystems, coastal zones, etc, are still being developed, and are not locally available. These tools are vital to complement the ‘top down’ assessments and for national/basin/regional planning and priority setting.
PREDICTION AND PREPAREDNESS
Present predictions can provide water managers with reasonably accurate short-term weather information (days up to weeks). Predictions for the longer term (seasons or even a few years) are improving in reliability.
THE CLIMATE AND WATER RESEARCH AGENDA
There is a widely recognised gap in predictive capacity when it comes to forecasting climate at basin level over seasons or years. That is the information needed for water resource planning to cope with climate variability. Temporal and spatial downscaling of predictions from Global Circulation Models is an urgent need. Research is needed on multi-disciplinary tools for integrated assessment f vulnerability on a local scale.
RESEARCH, MONITORING AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING
DWC’s Coping Compendium (Chapter 4) highlights a wide range of adaptation options, many still in their infancy in relation to coping with climate variations. Research and information sharing will accelerate understanding of how to build resilience and moderate the impacts of extreme weather and climate. The private sector and relief agencies share a common interest in effective protection and preparedness.
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
To cope with increasing hydrological variations and weather extremes, water managers need new skills. Climatologists too have to work in different ways to provide the right help to their water colleagues. Both parties can benefit from training, tools
development and knowledge sharing, as can the partner agencies involved in the adaptation dialogues
PUBLIC AWARENESS
The 18 dialogues have demonstrated the value of awareness raising to motivate local action.
WATER AND CLIMATE ALLIANCE
The Dialogue on Water and Climate has been an effective networking vehicle to encourage closer collaboration between the climate community (meteorology and hydrology) and the water community. That work needs to continue and expand.

ACTIONS BY COUNTRIES, BASINS AND REGIONS

Water managers, in co-operation with national governments, NGOs, etc.) should continue to be encouraged to start multistakeholder dialogues at basin, national and regional level to prepare adaptation plans for climate change/climate variability. The aim should be to link basin dialogues with appropriate country and regional dialogues, to cover the most vulnerable basins and regions. Countries (in particular the most vulnerable) should prepare a comprehensive water sector NAPA or National Communication within the overall goals of development and sustainability, following the WEHAB framework as described in the Plan of Implementation of the WSSD and including poverty and vulnerability reduction targets laid down in the Millennium
Development goals. Identify the water sector-related social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities to climate change and extremes through both scenario-based model studies and the best available grassroots vulnerability assessments for specifically vulnerable areas such as coastal areas, marginal lands, cities, small islands, ecosystems, the poor. BUT: take local action without waiting for priority comparisons. Vulnerable basins or communities should work with best
available short term (2-5 days) prediction information and establish early warning systems and response strategies. This may include rehabilitating defunct hydrological monitoring stations and sharing information across international borders. Seasonal prediction and early warning/response systems should be introduced where expected to be feasible and effective. Work with climatologists, meteorologists and hydrologists in the international specialist agencies to develop best available
forecasting and prediction models to suit basin and national needs. Co-operate in pilot testing and data gathering to improve models, and share data across networks of water and climate specialists. Research, record and share information on innovative adaptation options. Involve the private sector in micro-credit and risk-sharing initiatives; exchange knowledge internationally on policy instruments, technology, ecological vulnerability/resilience, land-use planning, etc.

Organise workshops, training courses, distance learning and exchange programmes, to build the capacity of water managers, climatologists and extension workers to address water-and-climate issues. Review institutional frameworks and
develop capacity for co-operation in adaptation strategies Use media, publications, posters and appropriate local communication networks to raise awareness of weather hazards and coping options. Mobilise women’s groups,
religious leaders and teachers to disseminate key messages Convert the outcomes of basin, country and regional dialogues into co-operative adaptation strategies and contribute to an expanding global network on water-and-climate issues.

EXTERNAL SUPPORT

International institutions and agencies are urged to provide technical and logistical support for the activities of new dialogues. Bilateral and multilateral development support agencies can support the operations of the dialogues, where national
governments demonstrate that they are integrated with priority developmental objectives. Target: Five new Dialogues per year It is recommended that an interagency working group is established under GEF with representatives from multilateral and bilateral agencies including GWP and international NGOs (IUCN, Red Cross) to develop a financial support mechanism for water sector NAPAs for the long term, and also to develop a transitionary financial support facility to support water sector adaptation plan preparation and implementation. Support is urgently needed for the further development of grassroots-level assessment methodologies like the Climate Vulnerability Index, and their use by regional, country and basin level governmental, science and NGO organisations. International organisations can help with research, co-ordination and finance. International river basin authorities/commissions can and should make valuable data on prediction freely and readily available to downstream countries.

Technical and financial support from donors/UN agencies can help with early warning systems (from short term to seasonal) and preparedness/response plans. UNESCO, WMO, IRI, Hadley Centre and other international partners have a comprehensive agenda to assist regional and country level water managers with tools for planning purposes that take account of the impacts of climate variability and change on water resources management for people, food, energy and ecosystems.
The compendium on coping options should be completed based upon best practices and field level experiences. The compendium should be made available via capacity development activities and on the web.
WHO, IUCN, WB, UNDP, UNESCO and universities with