Water Convention events at COP25

The 25th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was held from 2 till 13 December 2019 in Madrid, Spain and is known as blue COP since it aimed, among others, to highlight the importance of the oceans and coastal ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The COP 25 also underlined the essential contribution of nature to addressing climate change impacts and the need to address biodiversity loss and climate change in an integrated manner. In addition, the COP 25 called upon countries to address loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change at different levels including the regional one.

The COP 25 was also attended by a number of water experts, who have become more and more active in raising the importance of water in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The water-related events articulated the following key messages:

• the need to include water-related measures into NDCs, NAPs and sectoral adaptation strategies and plans;
• application of innovation approaches including technical, traditional and indigenous knowledge is required;
• the necessity to apply nature-based solutions and ecosystem approach;
• financing is still challenging and requires capacity-building, including for preparing bankable project proposals;
• youth voice and human rights are one of the main topics in water under changing climate;
• the need for transboundary and regional cooperation.

The Water Convention contributes to various events at COP25, in the framework of UN-Water and in the framework of the Paris Pact on Adaptation in the Basins of Rivers, Lakes and Aquifers.