Water is the primary medium through which climate change will impact on humans and the environment. It will amplify challenges related to floods and drought and makes the need for effective adaptation extremely urgent. Water is also crucial in climate change mitigation, as many efforts to reduce carbon emissions rely on water availability for their long-term success. Advocacy efforts to raise the profile of water in the negotiations under the Climate Convention are imperative, and have gained increasing support from many countries. Recently, the issue of water resources has been highlighted in the formal negotiations under the UNFCCC. It is now crucial to maintain the momentum being built to acknowledge the cross-cutting nature of water resources and its relevance for climate adaptation and mitigation.

Ongoing efforts will be needed to ensure that water management is integrated in relevant UNFCCC programmes; that water expertise is linked to the UNFCCC Adaptation Committee; and that water related adaptation and mitigation will be addressed under the Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund.

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