COP28 in Dubai
The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) will be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023 under the chairmanship of the United Arab Emirates. As every year, the French Water Partnership will be present through its members and its secretariat.
This page is dedicated to the events and initiatives of FWP and its members during COP28. The information below is updated in real time, do not hesitate to come back to the page regularly.
FWP events at COP28
December 9, 2023
Sciences and emerging technologies for Resilience Building: UNESCO’s approach for a Just Transition
Make Cities Water Secure: Key strategies for Water and Wastewater Utilities
December 10, 2023
Advancing water security through global energy footprint analysis and transnational cooperation in the MENA region
The event will explore the energy-water nexus by commencing with a comprehensive keynote presentation of a French water partnership study highlighting the environmental and water footprints of the energy sector. It will be followed by a panel discussion on the opportunities that energy-water interdependencies and countries’ comparative advantages can create, based on EcoPeace’s experience with “Project Prosperity,” a groundbreaking agreement supported by the UAE, that facilitates the exchange of desalinated water from Israel for solar energy generated in Jordan, demonstrating innovative cross-border cooperation in addressing pressing environmental challenges. Finally, high level speakers will conclude the event by highlighting opportunities for cooperation and environmentally-conscious practices that can help build climate resilience.
Ensuring efficient coordination of Water resources, Solid waste management and Sanitation in a climate resilient world
The side event will present some key opportunities for the Water and Waste sectors to better align to improve climate resilience against a background of limited resources. During the event we will discuss the opportunities for improved water and waste management, as well as the pivotal role of utilities in ensuring sustainable essential services to the populations in urban growth centers against a background of human rights.
December 11, 2023
Efficiency and Resilience, confronting the worsening of droughts: what perspectives?
None of the Mediterranean countries have escaped severe droughts in recent years. These extreme events have stress-tested our societies and economies, leading to a growing urgency to adapt territories to the impacts of climate change.
The significant topic of establishing an action framework and adopting a shared set of nomenclature and indicators for climate change adaptation, within the negotiations for the Global Goal on Adaptation, is a major focus at COP28.
France, Morocco and Spain have developed policies and strategies to tackle these droughts. Hearing case studies of resilient water resources management will contribute to the COP’s debates on adaptation, droughts and desertification.
The event will shed light on the Region’s challenges, good practices and solutions that hold the potential of being replicated.
December 11, 2023
Transformative Climate Finance Day
Water continues to be the first adaptation area prioritized in national updated NDCs. Measures for enhancing availability, efficiency and quality of water supplies including enhancing or building water infrastructure and water resource plans, strategies and systems are listed in 87% of the NDC adaptation components[1]. However, most of these measures are not prepared to be packaged into bankable investments and ready for financing and implementation.
At the same time, the first synthesis report of the Global Stocktake slated to conclude during COP28 revealed that collective progress on adaptation is not yet sufficient to protect communities and ecosystems from increasingly frequent and intense impacts and must undergo a step change in fulfilling the ambition laid out in the Paris Agreement. The synthesis report calls for a rapid adaptation finance scaling up from expanded and innovative sources
The “Transforming Climate Finance Day” aims to bring together stakeholders from different sectors and with different responsibilities to discuss investment opportunities and needs, explore the different sources of financing and conceive required technical and capacity enhancement support. The Day events will offer also a platform to showcase innovative solutions and success stories to inspire stakeholders towards increasing the amount and effectiveness of funds for water climate resilience and share recommendations that can be brought to the attention of decision-makers and the formal processes of UNFCCC negotiations.
[1] UNFCCC (2022), Nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement – Synthesis report by the secretariat
Investments needs & opportunity – Technical Panel
Bridging the investment gap: fetching financing sources – Debates
Boosting water resilience investments: Enhancing support for stakeholders
Water & Climate Pavilion
This COP will host a Water and Climate Pavilion for the third consecutive year. Through a message shared by stakeholders and a wide selection of side events, this pavilion will address all themes related to water and climate.
The purpose of the pavilion is to promote resilient water management in the face of the climate crisis and to provide concrete solutions to the audience. The pavilion thus seeks to identify and strengthen synergies between water stakeholders and stakeholders from other sectors in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The Water and Climate Pavilion will be accessible on site for Blue Zone accredited delegations. It is also possible to follow the side events of the pavilion online, without conditions of accreditation.
The pavilion is supported by several international partners, including the French Water Partnership.
FWP Policy Messaging