March 2015: The inception meeting of the project ‘Addressing Water Security: Climate Impacts and Adaptation responses in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe,’ organized by the International Hydrological Programme of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO-IHP), launched a discussion on water security building on the existing networks, know-how and experiences of effective adaptation strategies.

The inception meeting’s objectives included: initiating a global knowledge forum on water security; developing partnership mechanisms and projects to contribute to the assessment of vulnerability and to map existing implementation of adaptation strategies in vulnerable regions; and raising awareness of potential impact of climate change on water resources based on different case studies.

The meeting, held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, from 9-10 February 2015, brought together hydrologists, water resources experts, policymakers, members of the IHP network, UN institutions and other experts on water security issues from around the world. Participants considered the gaps between science and policy; sought to identify ways to cope with miscommunication among stakeholders; and contributed to the development of collaboration among participating experts and institutions.

The inception meeting will contribute to the UNESCO-IHP-VIII Phase (2014-2021) titled ‘Water Security: responses to local, regional and global challenges.’ [UNESCO Press Release] [IISD RS Sources]