8 April 2019: The Global Water Partnership (GWP) has published guidance on water-related planning for building resilience and adapting to a changing climate. The publication titled, ‘Addressing Water in National Adaptation Plans: Water Supplement to the UNFCCC NAP Technical Guidelines,’ is designed for countries to use as they prepare their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) under the UNFCCC.

The guidance highlights water as the common factor across national development plans and several international agreements besides the UNFCCC, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the SDGs.

NDCs and NAPs focus on national action, whereas water resources often transcend national boundaries.

GWP, with the UNFCCC Secretariat, launched the guidance at Korea Global Adaptation Week in Songdo, Republic of Korea. In launching the publication, GWP cited a 2016 UNFCCC study of 162 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which showed that water was most often prioritized in actions to build resilience. Monika Weber-Fahr, GWP Executive Secretary, noted however that a limitation of NDCs and NAPs is that they focus on national action, whereas water resources often transcend national boundaries. She highlighted the need for effective transboundary cooperation on water (SDG target 6.5), and invited the climate community to make use of the institutional solutions developed thus far by the professional water management community.

Outlining the implications for integrated approaches to water management, measured by SDG indicator 6.5.1 (“Degree of integrated water resources management implementation”), the guidance document highlights the need for: enabling environments; institutions and participation; management instruments; and financing. Other key messages include the need for governments to: invest in the governance of water resources; undertake a risk-based approach in adaptation planning; build in-country capacity instead of resorting to external experts; and adopt integrated approaches across national boundaries.

The 102-page publication contains 28 case studies of actions that countries, regional institutions, and development banks have taken on water-related adaptation, including, for example, payments made through a Caribbean risk insurance facility, CCRIF SPC, following a cyclone event, and water-related public expenditure reviews undertaken by the World Bank as part of its approach to financing countries’ water services. [Publication: Addressing Water in National Adaptation Plans: Water Supplement to the UNFCCC NAP Technical Guidelines] [Briefing Note on Publication] [GWP Press Release]