The hydrological cycle is deeply interconnected with climate change. The availability of fresh water is decreasing due to changes in precipitation patterns and extreme weather events caused by climate change. According to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC, limiting global warming to 2°C instead of 1.5°C will result in almost doubling the world population suffering from water scarcity. This harsh reality calls for action to integrate climate and water policies at the highest level, including at UN Climate Change Conferences.
The Lake Baikal Foundation, the only partner from Russia at the Water Pavilion at COP29, has prepared a review of progress on the water agenda following the event.
Water in official COP29 documentsP29
Water has been receiving increasing attention on the climate negotiation agenda in recent years. For example, after COP27, the Sharm El Sheikh Implementation Plan (decisions 1/CP.27 and 1/CMA.4) recognizes the “critical role of protecting, conserving and restoring water systems and water-related ecosystems in providing benefits and co-benefits from climate change adaptation while ensuring social and environmental safeguards,” and calls on countries to “further integrate water resources into adaptation efforts.”
The “protection, conservation, and restoration of water systems and water-related ecosystems” is also recognized in the final decision of COP28 in the First Global Stocktake. Additionally, water is recognized as one of the key sectors for adaptation measures in the UAE Framework Programme on Global Climate Change Sustainability.
And although there was no single comprehensive document adopted at COP29 in Baku outlining the conference outcomes, and water is not mentioned in the thematic decisions on finance or adaptation, the water theme was not forgotten. President of COP29, Mukhtar Babayev, emphasized the importance of the water theme for Azerbaijan in the context of preserving the Caspian Sea, and the expert community throughout the two weeks of the conference spoke about the need to include water in national adaptation plans and nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
The Baku Dialogue on “Water for Climate Action” and the Baku Declaration on Climate Action on Water Resources
The most significant event at the conference in terms of the water agenda was the official launch of the Baku Dialogue on “Water for Climate Action” on November 21 at COP29 and the adoption of the Declaration on Climate Action on Water Resources, supported by almost 50 countries and non-state organizations such as Water.org, the Stockholm International Water Institute, and the Islamic Development Bank.
The Baku Water Dialogue will create a mechanism for continuous inclusion of the water theme in the agenda of each subsequent Conference of Parties – a long-awaited decision within the climate negotiations. In practice, the dialogue will consist of an official series of discussions to be held every year during COP with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and the World Meteorological Organization. These discussions will bring together governments, businesses, and other groups to ensure that water remains a central element of climate change, biodiversity loss, and desertification negotiations.
“Water is the link between the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and desertification. By strengthening cooperation between countries and communities, this initiative will enable us to act on all three fronts,” –
Commented Mukhtar Babaev on the event.
The Baikal Lake Fund supports the launch of the Baku Dialogue on “Water for Climate Action”.
Declaration on Climate Actions on Water Resources
By 2030, endorsing parties to the declaration (national governments and other stakeholders, including international organizations, financial institutions, charitable organizations, private sector entities, scientific communities, and civil society organizations) have committed to:
1.Promote dialogue and partnership among countries at the international, regional levels, and across transboundary waters in order to:
- strengthen synergy, continuity, and coordination between the Conferences of the Parties in water-related processes under the Rio Conventions (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity, and UN Convention to Combat Desertification);
- support the development of joint and coordinated climate actions and policies;
- enhance the effectiveness of initiatives related to water resources put forth during UN climate change conferences, and coordinate them with major multilateral events on water resources, including the upcoming UN water resource conferences in 2026 and 2028.
2.Enhance the collection of scientific data on the causes and impacts of climate change on water resources, water basins, and water-related ecosystems through the use of existing knowledge platforms, and consider the possibility of establishing new regional knowledge centers to:
- facilitate knowledge exchange and relevant climate observations and research data, including water cycle, water levels, fluctuations, and depletion, as well as sharing experiences and best practices;
- promote access to technologies and innovations;
- utilize existing and potentially develop new climate scenarios for water basins, as well as assess climate risks and vulnerabilities, including strengthening monitoring mechanisms and data exchange;
- explore the linkages between conservation, protection, restoration, and sustainable management of water resources, water basins, and water-related ecosystems, as well as their role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and adapting to it.
3.Strengthening actions in the field of climate policy related to water resources, through:
- effective integration of water resource issues in the development of climate policy, including national adaptation plans or strategies determined at the national level, contributions and corresponding implementation plans, as well as national strategies and action plans for biodiversity conservation, using existing tools;
- improvement in prevention, preparedness, resilience, and recovery in response to water-related hazards and natural disasters, particularly strengthening national and regional early warning systems and preparedness actions to forecast droughts and floods and mitigate their consequences;
- addressing water issues by 2030 through enhancing sustainable and efficient use and management of water resources linked with water ecosystems, soil and land resources, improving environmental management, regulating environmental quality, controlling pollution, monitoring and analyzing water quality, as well as early warning and monitoring, and ensuring wastewater treatment, purification, and reuse, monitoring and controlling discharges, and other relevant measures;
- expanding the use of appropriate integrated approaches: integrated water resources management, nature-based solutions (NbS), ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), source-to-sea approach (S2S), and other applicable tools and methods.
The Declaration recognizes, among other things, the efforts and work of the Water4Climate pavilion.
Other initiatives
- Freshwater Challenge – a freshwater restoration initiative aimed at restoring over 300,000 km of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030. This is about 30% of degraded freshwater ecosystems on Earth. At COP29, the organizers of the initiative presented a working plan, according to which by 2025, countries participating in COP30 in Brazil will present their goals for freshwater restoration.
- The Baku Declaration on Oceans at COP29 from the “Ocean” Pavilion calls on all countries, relevant organizations, and companies to prioritize actions related to the ocean that advance common priorities within COP on climate, biodiversity, and desertification issues. This includes the development of international cooperation and an increase in both public and private funding.
- At the conference, the annual report on the implementation of the Sharm-el-Sheikh Adaptation Program was presented, including a section dedicated to water and natural systems. This section notes that the Baku Water Dialogue will contribute to further cooperation and investment in water-related projects, but progress is still insufficient – for example, there are very few water-related goals in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Water-related events
Water-related events were a prominent theme at the conference – the Water4Climate water pavilion hosted over 40 thematic events covering topics such as water nature-based solutions, adaptation, financing water projects, while outside the pavilion, the number of water-related events exceeded 80 – including events at the Ocean, Cryosphere, and Arctic Pavilions. All of this indicates a growing awareness of the role of water in international efforts to combat climate change.
The Lake Baikal Foundation talked about financing the water economy, youth in the water agenda, the link between biodiversity, water, and climate, as well as water projects of the Foundation in three pavilions – Water4Climate, the Russian Pavilion, and the Children and Youth Pavilion.
Session “Water for cooperation: exchange of experience, challenges and prospects” in the Russian Pavilion.
