UN heads issue urgent call for water and climate action

On the eve of the UN Climate Change negotiations in Glasgow, COP26, the heads of ten international organizations issued today a united and urgent call to governments to prioritize integrated water and climate action given the all-pervasive impacts on sustainable development.

“This letter also appeals for urgent and accelerated action to address the water-related consequences of climate change,” said World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) spokesperson Clare Nullis at a media briefing in Geneva.

The letter urges governments to address more effectively the water dimensions of climate change adaptation and mitigation, as provided for in a UN-agreed framework to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 (ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all).

It was signed by the heads of WMO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN University (UNU), the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Global Water Partnership (GWP).

Reading the letter, Ms Nullis said that “climate change is dramatically affecting the water cycle, making droughts and floods more extreme and frequent and decreasing the natural water storage in ice and snow. Rising temperature and variability in flow patterns of water bodies also strongly affect water quality in surface and groundwater.”

“Changing precipitation patterns are already impacting agriculture, food systems, and livelihoods are becoming increasingly vulnerable, as well as ecosystems, and biodiversity. Rising sea levels threaten communities, infrastructure, coastal environments and aquifers,” she continued.

According to a recent UNICEF report on the impact of climate change on children, over one third of the world’s children (920 million) are currently severely exposed to water scarcity.

In addition, the UN World Water development Report 2020 emphasizes that water is the “climate connector”, allowing for greater collaboration and coordination in policy-making across the majority of targets for climate change (Paris Agreement), sustainable development (2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals ), and disaster risk reduction (Sendai Framework).

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UN heads issue urgent call for water and climate action

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