Context

• A new AWARe initiative has been launched at the UN Climate Change negotiations, reflecting the importance of water both a key climate change problem and a potential solution.  

About AWARe Initiative

• AWARe stands for Action for Water Adaptation and Resilience.
• It underlines the commitment of Egypt as COP27 President to making water a top priority.
• The AWARe initiative, which was drafted by the COP27 Presidency with support of WMO, was launched on Water Day on 14 November.
• It is a collective effort, with input from many stakeholders and UN agencies.

  

• AWARe aims at contributing to a successful outcome at the 2023 UN Conference on Water and it brings together the Water and Climate Coalition, the Adaptation Action Coalition as well as the Marrakesh Partnership Climate Action Pathway Water towards scaling up adaptation action.
• In close cooperation with African Union (AU) and African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) among other stakeholders, the initiative aims at offering transitional adaptation solutions for planet and people.

• The AWARe initiative promotes

  • measures to decouple economic growth from freshwater use and degradation;
  • develop national utilization plans, adaptation and mitigation strategies and protect and restore freshwater ecosystems;
  • seek cooperative analysis of river basin scale adaptation and
  • mitigation options and risk of mal-adaptation and support mutually agreed policy solutions to advance a ‘do no harm’ approach.
• It seeks to support promotion of sustainable waste-water management, sanitation policies and strategies, and water-wise energy pathways besides working on improving early warning systems for extreme weather events.
• It will also work towards linking water resources policies with national climate action to reflect climate change long-term impacts on water resources and demand, and to support preparedness and adaptation measures.
• The Pan-African Center for Water Climate Adaptation, hosted by Egypt will ensure the principal delivery mechanism and will focus on main activities and actions including finance, technology and capacity building.
• AWARe has three principal aims:
  • Decrease water losses worldwide and improve water supply
  • Promote mutually agreed, cooperative water adaptation action
  • Promote cooperation and interlinkages between water and climate action in order to achieve the 2030 agenda and in particular Sustainable Goal Six on water and sanitation.
• WMO supports AWARe as an initiative complimentary to the Early Warning for All and the Water and Climate Coalition. AWARe can be a practical vehicle to implement Early Warnings for All, and the Water and Climate Leaders Call to improve water data and information for a climate ready world.

Key Facts for Mains

• Currently, 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water at least a month per year and this is expected to increase to more than 5 billion by 2050.
• Between 2001 and 2018, UN-Water reported that 74% of all natural disasters are water-related (i.e. flood and droughts). Water-related hazards are therefore an important part of the new initiative to achieve Early Warnings For All in the next five years.

Reference:

https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/action-water-adaptation-and-resilience-initiative-launched

https://reliefweb.int/report/world/cop27-presidency-launches-aware-initiative-address-water-security-part-climate-change-adaptation

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