New coalitions make water systems resilient to climate change, with more than one billion dollars secured, and reduce impacts on oceans

Paris, 2 December 2015 – A broad coalition of nations, river basin organizations, business and civil society today announced the creation of the international Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation to make water systems – the very foundation of sustainable human development - more resilient to climate impacts.

The “”Water Resilience Focus” event under the Lima to Paris Action Agenda on climate change also highlighted other key partnerships and coalitions to make river basins, lakes, aquifers and deltas more resilient to climate change and reduce human interference with oceans.

Almost 290 water basin organizations are engaged under the Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation.

Climate changes, coupled with unsustainable use of water, are causing widespread impacts on societies and economies, creating droughts, floods and warming which affect all water systems and trigger negative and often fatal impacts.

Without improved water resources management, the progress towards poverty reduction targets, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and sustainable development in all its economic, social and environmental dimensions, will be jeopardized.

Paris Pact on Water and Climate Change Adaptation

The pact involves a wide geographic coalition of national and cross-border river basin organizations, governments, funding agencies, local governments, companies and civil society.

It encompasses individual commitments to implement adaptation plans, strengthening water monitoring and measurement systems in river basins and promoting financial sustainability and new investment in water systems management.

These major collaborative projects combined represent over US$20 million in technical assistance and potentially over US$ 1 billion in financing. They include:

• A financial commitment by India to build climate resilience through improved groundwater management.
• In the Niger Basin (9 African countries involved), the launch of a 10-year investment plan to strengthen resilience to climate change, with financial support from the World Bank/IDA, WAEMU, KfW, GEF and the countries themselves.
• In Jordan, Lebanon, Monaco, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia, a 7-year commitment under the Mediterranean Water Platform to assess the state and trends of water resources, supported by the European commission.
• In Morocco, a project to increase resilience of the agriculture sector through improved irrigation practice, with financing from IBRD and the Kingdom of Morocco.
• In Mexico: 4-year collaboration to improve management of water resources and water services in the Mexico Valley.
• In Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia, program Ecocuencas, a 3-year commitment to a financial mechanism for adaptation to climate change in river basins, supported by the European commission.
• In China, a 3-year commitment to improve management of the Hai river basin, supported by France.
• In central Africa in the Basin of Congo, the launch of a hydrological and meteorological monitoring program benefiting over 160 million citizens, with financing from AFD.

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