Nature-based Solutions and Water | Geneva Nature-based Solutions Dialogues
DATE: 22 NOV 2021
TIME: 15:00 CETS
The Geneva Nature-based Solutions dialogues aim to facilitate further engagement and discussion among the stakeholders in International Geneva and beyond, in the lead-up to a critical year for nature and society. The dialogues are convened by the Geneva Environment Network and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Water, health and climate are closely interconnected. As our climate changes, droughts, floods, melting glaciers, sea-level rise and storms intensify, which affect nature, people’s health and economies. Nature-based solutions for water can combat climate change and support people’s health as clean water is essential to human survival. Nature-based solutions for water can also be low cost and provide a range of public and private goods through the capture, conveyance, storage and filtration of water resources, both above and below ground.
Working with nature-based solutions for water amplifies and optimizes the performance as well as the financial returns of engineered water infrastructure such as dams, levees and reservoirs. For example, when forests upstream are kept intact, water and soil run-off and infiltration can be regulated naturally, in turn safeguarding downstream reservoirs from sedimentation. This can help reduce costly clean-up efforts and ensure continued water supply for irrigation, public water supplies, industrial use and electricity generation.
Nature-based solutions for water are crucial in our journey to reach all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), not only SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation for all. Water is central to achieving all the goals and should be far better considered in the various international processes for biodiversity, disasters, climate change, land management, and the UN Decade on Restoration. Freshwater systems such as wetlands and peatlands are being lost three times faster than forests, yet are far more efficient at storing carbon.
Leading experts speaking at this session, organized in the run-up to the World Water Forum, will set the stage for NbS for water as a key component for climate change mitigation and adaptation, good health and thriving livelihoods, thus contributing to achieving SDGs water-related targets, as well as the Sendai agreement on natural risks and disasters and the Paris agreement on climate goals.
Agenda
Welcome and Introduction
- Setting the Stage of NbS for Water | Claire Warmenbol, IUCN Global Water Programme
Panel Discussion
- Bridging Boundaries : How to Foster Basin-wide Cooperation | Sonja Koeppel, UNECE Water Convention
- Protecting and Harnessing the Power of Wetlands | Jerker Tamelander, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
- Recognition, Rights, and Climate Finance Access for Resources Management | Andrea Carmen, International Indian Treaty Council
- Water Governance: Frameworks and Negotiations | Christian Brethaut, Geneva Water Hub
- Water Management Plans : Going Beyond Grey Infrastructures | Walter Pebe Diaz, National Water Authority, Peru
- Global Youth Position on NbS | Cathy Yitong LI, COP26 Ambassador for the UK & YOUNGO, UNFCCC
- Conservation of Water Biodiversity through NbS | Claire Warmenbol, IUCN Global Water Programme
- Next Step in the NbS for Water Agenda : 9th World Water Forum | Boubacar Barry, 9th World Water Forum
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