UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme and its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission organize or co-organize several events at COP25, or actively cooperate on several others.
7 December 12h00-13h00, Capacity Building Hub
Side event within the Capacity Building Hub’s Local Government and Cities Day: “City-level capacity-building for climate action”
The event discusses alternatives for climate resilient urban development in different scale of cities (small and medium-sized cities, megacities), and establishes a multi-sectorial dialogue to propose ways of reinforcing the capacities of local water actors in city. It will also provide information on how a city to city knowledge exchange can be facilitated by a cooperation mechanism such as Megacities Alliance for Water and Climate, as well as examples of training for Cities resilience, irrespective of their size.
UNESCO will contribute to four focal areas, including capacity development of water service management, a Megacity to Megacity cooperation (SIAAP), resilient cities (University of South Denmark) and leaving no one behind (CONAGUA).
• Contact: Alexandros Makarigakis (SC/HYD) (a.makarigakis@unesco.org )
9 December, 09h30-10h45, SDG Pavilion
Side Event organized by UNESCO, UNECE, WMO and UN-DESA: Water Management within Climate Informed Decision making to Support UNFCCC and SDGs
Climate Informed Decision Making should integrate analytical and stakeholder approaches to assess impacts and risks within a quantitative framework. Decision makers can negotiate performance trade-offs between ecological requirements, infrastructure and social resilience. Climate Informed decision making involves risk analysis which emphasizes a shared vision between sectoral stakeholders and decision makers to define robust and flexible solutions. Taking climate-informed decisions is especially relevant for basin and transboundary level since climate risks do not recognize borders and require joint actions by countries to avoid maladaptation, to share costs and benefits in the region. We will present a set of approaches and methodologies for water managers, planners, investors, and decision makers, so that they are better equipped to develop appropriate adaptation strategies addressing climate change impacts on water and water-dependent sectors and also contributing to UNFCCC processes. The presentation will be followed by country-specific case studies.
• Contact: Anil Mishra (SC/HYD) (a.mishra@unesco.org)
9 December, 16h00-16h15, SDG Pavilion
Interview in the SDG Pavilion
UN-DESA will interview the co-coordinators of the UN-Water Expert Group on Water and Climate, including UNESCO. Questions will focus on the linkages between the Agenda 2030 and water.
• Contact: Anil Mishra (SC/HYD) (a.mishra@unesco.org)
9 December, 18h30-20h00, One UN for Climate-Compatible Cities:
Side event organized by UN-Habitat, UNESCO, UNU and UNEP: City Climate Action! Activating the potential of settlements for low-carbon and resilient nations
The One UN Event on Human Settlements will showcase transformative urban climate action - from enabling policies, to new partnerships, finance and business models and discuss how to scale up innovative solutions within and across levels and sectors, e.g. mobility, buildings and energy, and thereby contribute to the integration of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the New Urban Agenda. It will provide a platform for participants and stakeholders to discuss how to achieve urban adaptation and risk-informed sustainable urban development based on concrete examples from the UN System and other multi-stakeholder and partner initiatives.
UNESCO will be represented by Dr. Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, the Assisted Director General for Natural Sciences Sector.
Contact: Alexandros Makarigakis (SC/HYD) (a.makarigakis@unesco.org )
10 December 2019, 16:45 – 18:15, Room I (IFEMA- Feria de Madrid)
UN-WATER Side Event: Climate-resilient Water Management Approaches
UNESCO is co-coordinator of the UN-Water Expert Group on Water and Climate. In this event, the work on climate and water will be presented through the UN-Water Policy Brief on Climate Change and Water. UN-Water Vice-Chair will welcome all participants and invite speakers, including Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean. Panelists will include speakers from El Salvador, Jordan, Uganda, Vanuatu and Niger. Organizers: UNESCO (lead), UNECE, WMO, UNDP, UNU-INWEH, UNCCD, ESCWA, SIWI, AGWA, WWC, GWP, FWP, ILO, WHO, IOM, OHCHR, UNICEF, CBD, IWMI, UN – HABITAT, RAMSAR, IAHS.
• Contact: Anil Mishra (SC/HYD) (a.mishra@unesco.org)
11 December 10:00-11:30, Cryosphere Pavilion
Side Event organized by Iceland: Mountains, Glaciers and Snow
The earth’s glaciers, snow, permafrost and associated ecosystems, collectively known as the cryosphere, provide drinkable water for half of the world, but as the earth gets warmer, the supply is becoming unpredictable. Mountain environments are seeing changes in flash flooding patterns, retreating mountain glaciers, and changes to seasonal runoff, among others. This session will tackle this issue. Anil Mishra will represent UNESCO in the panel.
• Contact: Anil Mishra (SC/HYD) (a.mishra@unesco.org)
11 December 12h, Climate Action Studio
Interview in the Climate Action Studio
Organized by UNFCCC. UNESCO is invited for an interview as lead agency for UN-Water Side Event: Climate-resilient Water Management Approaches. Anil Mishra serves as a co-coordinator of the UN-Water Expert Group on Water and Climate.
• Contact: Anil Mishra (SC/HYD) (a.mishra@unesco.org)
11 December, 2019, 16:45-17:30, SDG Pavilion
Side Event organized by UNESCO: Source to Sea and Climate Action
The Science Policy panel will emphasize the importance of scientific cooperation, and connecting scientific research, policy development and action, and will develop a set of recommendations to enhance interface and interconnections among different components of the Source-to-Sea flow pathway. Panelists will include water professionals and experts from Spain, Tajikistan, Iceland, Canada and others. Anil Mishra will moderate the session.
• Contact: Anil Mishra (SC/HYD) (a.mishra@unesco.org)
11 December, 17:30-18:00, SDG Pavilion
Side Event organized by UNESCO: Droughts in the Anthropocene
Drought is a natural hazard that occurs without warning; it can persist for many years and extend across large areas all around the world. The impacts of drought are multiple and affect the economy as well as the function of ecosystems and societies. Each year, water-related disasters, such as drought and flooding, affect approximately 160 million people, killing about 13,500 persons. Economic damages caused by drought are annually around USD 5,4 billion. This digital presentation will explain the effects of drought all around the world through the presentation of case studies. Panelists will include representatives of UNESCO, Confederacion Hidrografica del Jucar and AGRHYMET.
• Contact: Anil Mishra (SC/HYD) (a.mishra@unesco.org)