Workshop on water and climate change: how to develop an adaptation strategy in transboundary basins

10 - 11 May 2010

Geneva, Switzerland

The workshop took place on 10 and 11 May 2010 in room VII in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, back-to-back with the third meeting of the Task Force on Water and Climate (12 May 2010). It brought together countries and main international actors engaged in activities on water and adaptation to climate change, in particular in transboundary basins, with the aim to:

Exchange practical experience and share lessons-learned on the technical and strategic aspects of adapting to climate change;

Analyse the specific challenges of adapting water management to climate change in the transboundary context;

Show how transboundary cooperation can be established in the different steps of developing an adaptation strategy: from the assessments of impacts and vulnerability to the selection of measures;

Support countries engaged in the process of preparing national or regional adaptation strategies;

Promote the implementation of the UNECE Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change.

In particular, the workshop aimed to assist governments implementing pilot projects on adaptation to climate change under the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) in planning and implementing the objectives, steps and activities of the projects.

The workshop also discussed how to ensure a continuous exchange of experience on adaptation to climate change in transboundary basins through a pan-European platform under the Water Convention.

Documents
Background Documents
Photos
Presentations

Document Title	ENG	FRE	RUS
Information notice	PDF	-	-
Final programme	PDF	-	PDF
Report	PDF
List of participants	DOC	-	-
Overview of the programme of pilot projects on adaptation to climate change in transboundary basins TFWC/2010/3	PDF	-	PDF
Concept note on the platform for exchanging experience with adaptation on water and adaptation to climate change in transboundary basins TFWC/2010/4	PDF	-	PDF

Document Title	ENG	FRE	RUS
UNECE Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change	PDF	-	PDF


Photos taken during the workshop	ZIP

Document Title	ENG	FRE	RUS
Session 1: An enabling environment: the international context
Introduction and welcome Mr. Marco Keiner, Director, Environment, Housing and Land Management Division, UNECE
Introduction to the workshop and pilot projects programme Mr. Joost Buntsma, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, the Netherlands	PDF	-	-
The UNECE Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change Mr. Jos Timmerman, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, the Netherlands	PDF	-	-
The global context: Adaptation under the UNFCCC process and the Nairobi work programme Ms. Xianfu Lu, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change	PDF	-	-
Activities of the European Union on water and climate change Ms. Marieke van Nood, European Commission, Directorate General Environment	PDF	-	-
The Adaptation Learning Mechanism	PDF	-	-
Weadapt: Information-sharing and collaboration for adaptation Mr. Ben Smith, Stockholm Environment Institute	PDF	-	-
Session 2: Governance to adapt in a transboundary setting
Water allocations and hydrological changes: assessing institutional resilience in transboundary rivers worldwide Ms. Kerstin Stahl, Institute of Hydrology, University of Freiburg, Germany	PDF	-	-
The Portuguese adaptation strategy and cooperation with Spain in the face of climate change Mr. Rodrigo Oliveira, Technical University of Lisbon, and Mr. Luis Veiga da Cunha, New University of Lisbon, Portugal	PDF	-	-
Adapting the US-Canada 1909 Boundary Waters agreement to climate change Mr. Eugene Stakhiv, International Joint Commission, International Upper Great Lakes Study	PDF	-	-
Environmental Impact Assessment as a means for integrating climate change into development - the example of the canal between Croatia and Serbia Mr. Micun Stanic, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Spatial Planning, Serbia	PDF	-	-
Session 3: Jointly assessing climate change impacts
Freshwater and climate change Mr. Zbigniew Kundzewicz, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)	PDF	-	-
Activities of the World Meteorological Organization to support climate change adaptation in countries Mr. Giacomo Teruggi and Ms. Sophia Sandstrom, World Meteorological Organization	PDF	-	-
Cooperation and difficulties in climate change scenario elaboration in the South Caucasus Ms. Anna Sikharulidze, Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia	PDF	-	-
Jointly developing a transboundary climate change impact assessment: the example of the Rhine Mr. Ben van de Wetering, International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine	PDF	-	-
Drought management and objectives of regional cooperation in the Aral See basin Ms. Natalya Agaltseva, Research Hydrometeorological Institute, the Centre of Hydrometeorological Service, Uzbekistan	PDF	-	-
Joint approach to climate change adaptation in the Meuse basin- the AMICE project Ms. Maïté Fournier, Etablissement Public d’Aménagement de la Meuse, France	PDF	-	-
Moldova water resources in the face of climate change: role of interstate cooperation in assessing impacts and increasing preparedness Mr. Roman Corobov, Eco-Tiras, Republic of Moldova	PDF	-	-
Adaptation to climate change in transboundary rivers with emphasis on shared estuaries and coastal areas in the Baltic, Black and Mediterranean Seas Ms. Magdalena Muir, The Coastal and Marine Union	PDF	-	-
Special lunchtime session
Targeting adaptation needs using the Climate Vulnerability Index Ms. Caroline Sullivan, Southern Cross University, Australia	PDF	-	-
From floods to droughts - adaptation strategy in water management in the Czech Republic Ms. Magdalena Mrkvickova, Masaryk Water Research Institute, Czech Republic	PDF	-	-
The CAREC/EC project on Multi-Sectoral Effects for the Central Asian Initiative on Sustainable Development water dialogue Mr. Martin Lindenlaub, Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC)	PDF	-	-
Climate-related risk indicators and adaptive capacity of developing countries Mr. Jose Luis Carrasco Terceros, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland	PDF	-	-
Responses to climate change by the communities residing in the Usumacinta river basin (Mexico-Guatemala) Mr. Jérôme Gandin, Laval University, Canada	PDF	-	-
Session 4: Developing jointly adaptation measures
Increasing ecosystem resilience as a measure to adapt to climate change Mr. Sergiy Moroz, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)	PDF	-	-
Adaptation to climate change in the Danube River Basin Ms. Diana Heilmann, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River	PDF	-	-
Adam project: adaptation and mitigation - mainstreaming climate adaptation into regional water and land use planning Ms. Saskia Werners, Wageningen University, the Netherlands	PDF	-	-
Adaptation plans from England and Wales – lessons from the 2009 price review Mr. Mike Keil, Ofwat, United Kingdom	PDF	-	-
Session 5: Starting cooperation: Launch of the pilot projects and conclusion of the workshop
The programme of pilot projects. Ms. Sonja Koeppel, Water Convention Secretariat	PDF	-	-
The pilot project on the Chu Talas river: presentations by riparian countries	-	-	PDF
The pilot project on the Dniester river: presentations by riparian countries	PDF	-	PDF
The pilot project on the Sava river: presentations by riparian countries and the secretariat of the International Sava River Basin Commission	PDF	-	-