UNECE GUIDANCE ON WATER AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION Jos Timmerman, RWS Centre for Water Management, the Netherlands Sonja Koeppel Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

The Water Convention and the Protocol on Water and Health Convention signed in 1992 Entered into force in 1996 Protocol signed in 1999 Entered into force in 2005

Objectives of the Convention Protection of transboundary waters by preventing transboundary impacts Ecologically sound and rational management Reasonable and equitable use  Conflict prevention Conservation and restoration of ecosystems

Ratification of the Convention . Ratification of the Convention 35 countries and the European Community Parties Countries in accession Non Parties In 2003 amended to allow access to non-UNECE countries To date the Convention has 36 Parties and this number is growing as a number of countries We have information on the intention of Georgia, FYROM and BiH to also accede to the Convention by the end of next year (next MOP) =>it cobvers the whole region .

Convention’s legal basis for adaptation Parties shall Prevent, control and reduce transboundary impacts including those related to adaptation to climate change or mitigation measures Use waters in a reasonable and equitable way Cooperate on the basis of equality and reciprocity Set joint water quality objectives, use best available technology, exchange information, follow the precautionary principle, develop joint monitoring and common research, create joint bodies, consultations, assist each other… Although the UNECE Water Convention does not explicitly mention climate, it represents one of the most essential legal frameworks in the UNECE region for cooperation on transboundary aspects of climate change and on development of adaptation strategies. Moreover the Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that transboundary waters are used in a reasonable and equitable way. Thus the principles of reasonable and equitable shall also be at the basis of any decision on adaptation measures within a transboundary basin. When there is a conflict of uses between Riparian States, and all the conflicting uses are considered reasonable, resolving the conflict will be determined by weighing up all relevant factors and circumstances. Ultimately, in weighing up all relevant factors every effort should be made to maximise the resultant benefits to Riparian States equitably, whilst at the same time protecting the long-term viability of the resource. A close cooperation is necessary in the whole process. In doing this, Parties shall cooperate on the basis of equality and reciprocity, in particular through bilateral and multilateral agreements and the relevant joint bodies, to develop common research, harmonized policies, programmes and strategies to adapt to climate change. The principle of solidarity should be applied, which means that risks, costs and responsibilities are shared between riparian States, also taking into account their capacities, the risk entailed, the effectiveness of the different options and the obligations under the Convention. The Convention also includes a number of obligations related to adaptation to climate change. It stipulates that joint water quality objectives shall be set and measures shall be designed to attain and maintain them. Parties are required to follow the precautionary principle which implies in the case of climate change taking action even before adverse impacts are fully proven scientifically. The Convention obliges Parties to exchange of information about the current (and expected) conditions of transboundary waters as well as the measures and planned to be taken to prevent, control and reduce transboundary impact. The Convention also includes provisions for consultations, common research and development and joint monitoring and assessment; setting the basis for riparian countries to cooperate in the development of adaptation strategies. In addition, Parties are obliged to establish early-warning systems, apply and exchange best available technology and mutually assist each other. Finally, Parties shall make available information about environmental status of transboundary waters, expected scenarios and water quality objectives available to the public.

Background of the Guidance Climate change impacts are already visible Possible conflict between water users => need for cooperation Few countries have developed strategies, none at the transboundary level => Decision by Meeting of the Parties in 2006 to develop the guidance for possible adoption in November 2009 Builds on work carried out at EU level, a survey in EECCA and SEE, several consultations, workshops and expert review Water resources are vulnerable and already impacted by climate change and variability with wide ranging consequences to societies, their health, economies and the natural environment. Many countries in the region already experienced severe impacts from the increasing number of natural extremes and disasters and are facing new challenges under a changing environment. There is the need to adapt now. The transboundary nature of water resources in the UNECE region entails that risks and challenges are shared and thus solutions need to be coordinated. Especially in countries in transition planning and implementaton of adaptation is still in a very early stage and guidance is needed

Drafting group Netherlands Uzbekistan Germany UNECE Italy WMO Armenia Belarus Finland Hungary Spain Switzerland Uzbekistan UNECE WMO WHO UNESCO CPWC

Target group for the Guidance Decision makers and water managers Officials, managers and stakeholders of other relevant sectors Entire UNECE region, focus on countries with economies in transition

Objectives of the guidance General roadmap towards adaptation of water management to climate change needs to be tailored to specific local situations. Step-wise approach Assess impacts of climate change Develop policy, strategic and operational responses Transboundary and health focus

General principles and approaches River basin approach and IWRM Precautionary principle Tailoring in space and time Adaptation should be cost-effective, sustainable, acceptable, prevent conflicts, etc. The way ahead The Parties to the Water Convention agreed to focus first phase of the implementation on:   •        awareness-raising and capacity building activities (Georgia has expressed interest in the organization of a regional workshop for the Caucasus on the application of the Recommendations) •        Testing it through pilot projects in transboundary river basins in the region ((Serbia has expressed its interest in the development of a pilot project on the Kolubara River; Central Asia also expressed its interest in a pilot project, Ukraine and Moldova have expressed interest in a pilot on the Dniester River);) •        the promotion of the Recommendations at the Belgrade Ministerial Conference (side event will be organised on 11 October 2007; 19.00 – 20.30) and at the fifth Ministerial Conference for the Protection of Forests in Europe (declaration and the Resolution both address the interrelations between water and forest) It has also been decided to cooperate in the organization of a joint event on water and forest during the European Forest Week in 2008 in Rome. •        Assess its usefulness and implementation in 2009 (The Parties at their fifth meeting will review the experience in the application of the Recommendations and decide to update, if need be, these Recommendations in light of the practice and lessons learned, technological advances, economic and social factors as well as changes in scientific knowledge and understanding.) Switzerland leads this initiative and number of other countries expressed their interest in supporting it. All these activities could not be successful without close cooperation with partners. The Ramsar Convention secretariat, the UNECE Timber Committee, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNDP (for using the Recommendations in the framework of their projects), UNEP, UNESCO and its category II centre on Eco-hydrology in Poland (for the implementation of pilot projects), the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE), the EECCA RECS (for the dissemination of information, the development of pilot projects and the organization of regional workshops), WWF and private-sector organizations. All these organisations are expected to be involved in the work: Cooperation will also be sought with ongoing or planned international projects, such as GEF-funded projects. The most important partner remains the state forestry sector itself, in particular national experts that could bring substantive contribution and experience-based knowledge in work. Therefore we very much look forward to your interest in future cooperation.

Logical framework: key steps  

Policy, legislation and institutional framework Policy and governance: mainstreaming climate change adaptation in development and spatial planning, programmes and budgeting and all policies Legal aspects: assessment of existing legal framework, also on transboundary level and if needed revision to ensure flexibility Institutional aspects: clear definition of roles and responsibilities Education, capacity-building and communication should be ensured at all levels

Information and monitoring needs Definition of information needs Different types of and sources of information are used Joint information systems should be built and exchange of information be ensured Design of adaptive monitoring systems

Scenarios and models for impact assessment (climate, hydrology, socio-economic) Impact assessment

Vulnerability assessment Help decision makers to assess vulnerability Provide information to guide choices where and when interventions Based on scenarios and model outcomes

Develop measures: safety chain Prevent Improve resilience Extreme event Respond Recover Prepare

Development of measures Mix of structural and non-structural, regulatory and economic, education and awareness measures Stakeholder involvement Prioritization based on vulnerability assessment, development objectives, resources available etc. Consider also long-term changes, not only extreme events At transboundary level: agreement on objectives, consultations on measures with transboundary impacts, etc.

Financial matters National budgets and economic incentives Insurance and reinsurance Involvement of the private sector Bilateral and multilateral programmes and international funds Financial assistance to countries with economies in transition

Evaluation Throughout the adaptation chain Different levels (strategy and measure/project) Monitor the progress vis-à-vis achieving objectives Learning by doing

Next steps in the Guidance development Revision of Guidance based on Expert review and Task Force comments Adoption at the Meeting of the Parties in November 2009 Plans for Implementation => pilot projects in transboundary basins => platform for sharing information on existing and new experience => need for partners

THANK YOU! Water.convention@unece.org www.unece.org/env/water