Impacts of climate change and variability on transboundary basins are evident in many regions in the world and increasing floods and droughts pose a challenge to water managers around the globe. The Water Convention and its Task Force on Water and Climate, support countries in developing transboundary adaptation strategies though guidance, projects on the ground and exchange of experience.
- Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change
- Guidance on Water Supply and Sanitation in Extreme Weather Events
Guidance documents
The Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change, adopted by the Meeting of the Parties and published in 2009, provides step-by-step advice on how to adapt to climate change, with a special focus on transboundary basins.
In addition, the Guidance on Water Supply and Sanitation in Extreme Weather Events, prepared under the Protocol on Water and Health and published in 2011 illustrates effective ways to minimize impacts of extreme weather events on water and sanitation and related health risks.
Following the adoption of the Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change at the fifth session of the Meeting of the Parties in 2009, Parties decided to foster implementation of the Guidance through a programme of pilot projects and a platform for exchanging experience with adaptation to climate change in the transboundary context.
Pilot Projects on adaptation to climate change in transboundary basin
The project aims to strengthen the capacity to adapt to climate change and to create positive examples demonstrating the benefits of transboundary cooperation in adaptation planning and implementation. They include joint impact and vulnerability assessment and the development of a basin-wide adaptation strategy. Representatives of the pilot projects meet annually to exchange experience between the pilot projects.
For more information on specific pilot projects, please follow the links below:
The latest progress report is available here, the web platform is available here.
Platform for sharing experience on adaptation to climate change in transboundary basins
The platform for sharing experience includes regular workshops and a web-based platform. The range of annual workshops on water and adaptation to Climate Change brings together water and climate experts from around thhe world to share experience and lessons learnt. During these workshops, different examples and approaches for adaptation to climate change are being discussed such as dealing with uncertainty, using and preserving ecosystems for adaptation, structural measures, reducing water use, integrated flood management, economic analysis for evaluating adaptation options etc.
2012: Third workshop on water and adaptation to climate change: Making adaptation work
2011: Second workshop on water and adaptation to climate change: challenges, progress and lesson learnt
2010: First workshop in adaptation to climate change in transboundary basins
2009: Workshop on transboundary flood risk management
2008: International Workshop on Adaptation to Climate Change in Water Sector
The fourth workshop on water and adaptation to climate change will be held in 2013
A leaflet about the Climate Change activities under the Water Convention can be found here:
English, French, Russian, Spanish
Cooperation
The climate change activities under the Water Convention are made possible by Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Four pilot projects are directly supported by the Water Convention: The projects on the Chu and Talas, Dniester, Neman and Sava river basins, They are developed in the framework of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) and in cooperation with other organizations such as UNDP, OSCE, UNEP, IWAC and WMO.
UNECE also cooperates with many other actors in climate change adaptation such as the European Commission.
