Today is COP27’s Water Day focusing on the importance of managing and conserving water resources.
It is through water that many people will experience the climate emergency, either in the form of drought, flooding, or pollution of water sources—or even a combination of all three. Despite the urgency and scale of the problem, water is often missing from global conversations and actions to solve the water crisis have been slow. But with an increasing frequency of devastating floods, such as the recent unprecedented floods in Pakistan, and deadly droughts such as in Somalia, water needs to move up the climate change agenda. And innovative ways need to be found to manage water resources sustainably.
Climate impacts on water and the linkages to wider, cross-cutting impacts on development and livelihoods are well documented and substantiated by scientific reports and analyses, including most recently by the IPCC and numerous other institutions.
To respond to the water crises, such as increasing demand, scarcity, extremes, and fragmentation, the Climate Investments Funds (CIF) is supporting low- and middle-income countries with large-scale, low-cost, and long-term financial solutions. This is done by investing in institutional strengthening, information management, and (natural and human-made) infrastructure development.
For example, in Niger, through CIF’s Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), the country has been supported by the Water Resources Mobilization and Development Project (PROMOVARE), implemented by the African Development Bank. This project helps improve the resilience of rural communities dependent on rain-fed farming through sustainable water resources, soil management and the adoption of resilient techniques and technologies. The project has so far improved the lives of more than 700,000 people, half of them women. To date, up to 1,000 farmers have been trained in climate-resilient agricultural technologies and practices, and up to 250 have accessed credit.
In Bolivia, CIF is using its PPCR to help build a robust climate-resilient water governance framework through the Climate Resilience–Integrated Basin Management Project. Using a previously tested evaluation framework developed by the University of Geneva, the study explores the type of adaptation processes currently underway in Bolivia, including those initiated with PPCR support, and proposes interventions that could address core gaps, strengthen institutional adaptive capacity, and facilitate transformative change in Bolivia’s water sector.
Building on national development priorities, CIF’s Pilot Program for Climate Resilience is delivering US$74 million in grants and concessional financing in Nepal to support mainstreaming climate change into development plans and practices, as well as key investments in target areas. These include enhancing the resilience of watersheds in mountainous regions and reducing the vulnerability of communities and ecosystems to climate-related hazards, particularly through private sector engagement.
Through its newly launched Nature, People and Climate Investment Program, CIF aims to empower indigenous peoples to drive climate change solutions, including for water security. The program will prioritize and promote participation of Indigenous Peoples through a unique feature—a direct financing initiative called the Dedicated Grant Mechanism first piloted within CIF’s Forest Investment Program.
The links between water scarcity and climate change show the importance of a holistic and integrated approach to water resource management. CIF will continue to support developing countries to ensure the sustainability of water use, build climate resilience and strengthen integrated management.