Jointly organised by Cap-Net, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Water Governance Facility, and GWP the webinar series brought back to the table the conversation on water and climate through tangible examples. The series embodied the second season of the discussion that began in July 2020.

The first webinar discussed the importance of ensuring that water interactions are considered in the NDCs, as countries adjust development paths as a result of COVID-19 impact on country finances, intersectoral linkages, observations on differences between first and enhanced NDCs. The speakers agreed water is a connector and that an integrated, multi-sectoral approach is necessary and useful to achieve multiple transformational goals simultaneously.

“It is fascinating to see how much effort and coordination are being increasingly invested in water resources consideration in the global agenda. But there is a long way to go on the side of decision-makers and their technical advisors, if questions around the justification of why the ambitiousness of water consideration in plans like the NDCs is not that obvious yet,” commented the speaker Marc Manyifika, Director-General of the Rwandan Land, Water and Forestry Directorate, after the webinar series concluded.

The second webinar shared experiences in preparing documents that include activities related to climate change, as well as lessons from addressing commitments in the first round of NDCs. While it is recognised that water and water-related activities were included as priority activities in the first NDCs, questions remain whether the priority was matched during implementation.

“For me, the stories from countries were the best part. I think they speak to all of us and tell us what it's really like to change theory into implementation on the ground” - Danielle Gaillard-Picher, GWP Global Coordinator for Water and Climate Processes.

The third webinar introduced the three main global climate finance mechanisms and their modalities, with emphasis on the practicalities of securing finance, obtaining accreditation, and building good investment cases. Insights and a range of opportunities were presented.

What I learned from the Water & Climate webinars was that integration can indeed happen. The examples showed how countries were addressing water, climate and other issues in a coordinated way, either in community-based work or in the overarching national planning. That was inspiring! - Marianne Kjellén, Global Policy Advisor, Water Governance Water & Ocean Governance Programme (WOGP)

The webinar series “Water & Climate Coordination: Supporting the NDCs and future Implementation under the Paris Agreement“ has explored the interlinkages between water and climate in national climate action plans with a strong focus on the journeys developing countries had in developing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and various investment mechanisms.

"I was happy to learn more about the practical work being done in the countries highlighted, around water and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Communication plays a crucial role in 1. breaking down complex and technical information and data into digestible stories for the wide public, which then allows for great inclusivity in the climate agenda 2. helps grow the movement through effective awareness building. This is the contribution I seek to make to the Water and Climate community" - Dizzanne Billy - Outreach Manager, Climate Tracker

"For me, two main learnings emerged from the webinar series, positive and negative. The positive message is that more effort is being made to include water interactions in climate change processes, while the negative is that much more work is needed to encourage the private sector to see value in investing in adaptation. The major contribution from the series were interventions from countries that outlined their approach to including water and why this was important to them. David Hebart-Coleman, Programme Manager, Water Resources, SIWI.