At various sessions throughout the week, a number of organisations and officials have articulated the reasons why water needs to be an integral part of the negotiation process on climate change and adaptation. Those reasons became key points of the ‘Stockholm Statement’, which the assembled participants of the 2009 World Water Week unanimously supported at the final plenary session.
Anders Berntell, executive director of the Stockholm International Water Institute, said: “Water is a fundamental element in economies, communities and public health. We know that it’s the medium through which climate change manifests its most serious effects. To be effective, climate negotiations must factor in the impact and importance of water for the world and indeed human well-being.”
World Water Council director general, Ger Bergkamp, said: “Water is key to development and the first medium through which climate change will be felt. Therefore, the global agreement that will follow the Kyoto Protocol must have clear targets and strategies for prioritising water in the adaptation to climate change.”
WWF head of freshwater adaptation, Dr John Matthews, added: “Especially with water – which is how most people will feel the impacts of climate change – we have to make climate change adaptation work. All WWF’s experience says that adaptation works best when it’s ecosystem-based.”
Henk van Schaik, programme coordinator international, Cooperative Programme on Water and Climate, concluded: “Adaptation to climate change in the water sector is crucial for sustainable development. Both climate and water experts should join forces building a framework for improved support to societal needs – beyond the COP-15 in Copenhagen.”
Introduction
Climate change is happening and adding complexity to existing global challenges. A strong and fair agreement on future global commitments on climate change measures – both mitigation and adaptation – is crucial in order to secure future water resource availability. The negotiations towards a Copenhagen Agreement are therefore of great concern to the global water community. The importance of water must be properly and adequately reflected within the COP-15 agreement, and in processes beyond COP-15.
In recent months, substantial efforts have been undertaken to ensure that this is achieved, including the Dialogue on Climate Change Adaptation for Land and Water Management, the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul and during dialogues held at the Climate Change Negotiations. Reflecting these efforts, and the urgent need to ensure that the global community is adequately prepared to respond to climate change, the following messages are conveyed from Stockholm to Copenhagen:
We urge the global water and climate communities to look beyond COP-15 and work through dialogue to strengthen global mechanisms that can enhance collective action on water and adaptation. These should include, but not be limited to, better sharing of knowledge and technology in support of adaptation measures in developing countries, active support for capacity building and access to improved levels of financing.
Finally, the water community expresses its commitment to strengthening institutional cooperation at all levels between the climate, water and wider development communities under appropriate mechanisms and institutional arrangements in order to work more collectively to address the immense development challenges ahead.
Source: The Stockholm International Water Institute
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