IWC9 Detailed Agenda
Download the IWC9 Conference Flyer
Sunday 4 November 2018
1830-1930, Agdal Hall
Session Coordinator: Taylor Henshaw, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
A film festival highlighted selected GEF IW projects at IWC9. All films are available here: https://iwlearn.net/events/iwc9-2018/film-festival
Submitted films had to be less than 12 minutes long to be festival eligible. An independent panel selected five films from the submission pool for festival screening.
Participants determined the winner during the festival (using the conference app). Films were scored based on the following criteria:
Uniqueness of the topic:
Is it an innovative approach to IW issues that could be replicated?
Good progress made:
Does it show clear impacts of intervention and the catalytic role played by the GEF?
Quality of information:
Is it educational and does it provide good promotional value to the project and/or GEF IW?
Production quality:
Is it visually pleasing and overall enjoyable?
The highest and lowest judge scores were not included in the judging totals. Project representatives are kindly asked to take audience questions following their respective film screening.
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Day One
Portfolio Strategy and Methodology
Monday 5 November 2018
Jardins de l’Agdal Hotel
Opening, Perspectives on GEF-7, and Key Findings from the GEF IEO IW Focal Area Study
Monday 5 November 2018
0900-1030
Location: Agdal Hall
Conference Facilitator: Susanne Schmeier, IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education
Following conference welcome remarks and visionary perspectives, the GEF Secretariat presentedcan overview of the GEF-7 IW strategy and offer perspectives on meeting the programming directions and objectives under it.
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The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the GEF presented the results of the third IW Focal Area Study (2016), which comes 10 years after of the previous one. The purpose of the Study was to provide insights and lessons for the GEF-7 replenishment cycle by assessing the continuing relevance of the focal area, and its effectiveness in creating an enabling environment for transboundary cooperation and environmental stress reduction. The Study contains an analysis of the composition and trends of the entire IW portfolio (1992-2015), a synthesis of evaluative evidence from thematic and terminal evaluations and from stakeholder interviews. Its findings and final considerations may provide useful elements for countries, GEF agencies and portfolio managers.
Speakers:
- Her Excellency, Dr. Nezha el Ouafi, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development
- Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO
- Monika Weber-Fahr, Executive Secretary and CEO, Global Water Partnership
- Kusum Athukorala, Senior Advisor, Sri Lanka Water Partnership
- Christian Severin, IW Coordinator, Global Environment Facility
- Andrea Merla, Technical Expert [Presentation Slides]
Views from Policymakers on Sustaining International Waters Cooperation
Monday 5 November 2018
1100-1200
Location: Agdal Hall
Session Coordinators: Vladimir Mamaev, United Nations Development Programme;
Mish Hamid, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
GEF IW projects are built upon country-driven processes and dialogues that lead to ward transboundary cooperation. Legal and institutional frameworks, but particularly national policies and regulations help drive what gets achieved in GEF IW project implementation. This session engaged high-level government representatives of the GEF IW project community on the question of how GEF IW projects can work to sustain international waters cooperation. Policymakers were queried on what, in their experience, is relevant for projects to pursue in terms of policymaker engagement and facilitating the processes and dialogues toward cooperation, and for sustaining it.
Speakers:
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Theresa Castillion Elder, Environment Coordinator, Amazon Cooperation Organization (ACTO)
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Mr. Roby Fadillah, Deputy Director for Maritime Affairs, Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS)
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Gerta Lubonja, General Director, Albania National Agency of Water Resources Management/Technical Secretariat of National Water Council
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Phera Ramoeli, Executive Secretary, Okavango River Commission
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Becky Shuford, Fishery Biologist, Marine Ecosystems Division, United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
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GEF IW Project Showcase: Sustaining IW Cooperation
Monday 5 November 2018
1200-1230
Location: Agdal Hall
Session Coordinator: Taylor Henshaw, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
GEF IW projects have a plenary opportunity to promote their innovative solutions/approaches to sustain international waters cooperation. The event showcased solutions that best demonstrate the greatest alignment with the IWC9 theme, and specifically, with one of the conference learning tracks. The conference plenary voted on their favorite solution, using the conference app. A prize was awarded to the project whose portfolio solution receives the most votes.
Characteristics of a Top Portfolio Solution:
- Feasibility and Ease of Implementation
- Resources needed to implement the solution are readily available
- The solution is cost-effective, or can be made so
- The risks are identifiable, quantifiable, manageable and are minimal compared to the benefits
- Breadth of Application
- The conditions that need to be in place for the solution to be introduced are well defined
- The solution is versatile and can be applied and implemented in diverse settings across multiple sectors, countries and cultures
Chosen project solutions were presented by the respective project representatives in the Pecha Kucha 15x20 format, where the presenter shows 15 images, each for 20 seconds. Each presentation lasted 5 minutes.
Presenters:
- Christopher Cox, Programme Officer, UN Environment (Global Nutrient Cycle)
- Christopher Corbin, Programme Officer, UN Environment – Caribbean Environment Programme (Caribbean Wastewater)
- Hugh Walton, Chief Technical Advisor and Project Coordinator, Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency
- Liana McManus, Project Coordinator, GRID-Arendal (Marine Plastic)
- Christian Susan, Industrial Development Officer, UNIDO
- Clare Howard, Project Manager, Nitrogen Science Development Coordinator, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Integrated Nitrogen Management)
- Maria Apostolova, Project Manager, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (Amazon River)
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Building Traction of the TDA-SAP Process Toward 2030 and Beyond: From Formulation Through Implementation (Kickoff)
1400-1530
Location: Agdal Hall
Pillar Coordinators: Andrew Hudson, United Nations Development Programme; Astrid Hillers, Global Environment Facility
Download Summary
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Speakers:
- Christian Severin, IW Coordinator, Global Environment Facility
- Peter Whalley, GEF IW:LEARN
- Emmanuel Olet, Climate Investment Finance Specialist, African Development Bank
- Blake Ratner, IW Panel Member, GEF STAP
- Theresa Elder, Environment Coordinator, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization
- Patrick Debels, Regional Project Coordinator, Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem
- Birane Sambe, Regional Project Coordinator, Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem
- Ger Bergkamp, President and CEO, ARCOWA
- Johann Augustyn, Executive Secretary, SADSTIA
Building Traction of the TDA-SAP Process Toward 2030 and Beyond: From Formulation Through Implementation (Freshwater World Café)
1600-1730
Location: Agdal Hall
Session Coordinators: Ivan Zavadsky, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River; Aurélien Dumont, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - International Hydrological Programme
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Threats to freshwater ecosystems, stemming from urbanization and increasing food demand, further exacerbated by climate change, are increasing. Water is fundamental to achieving most of the SDGs. Provision of water for human settlements, agriculture, energy, etc. is a risk also by water scarcity events, such as floods and droughts. Cooperation on shared freshwater systems, including groundwater is essential in most international basins to support the need for water, food, energy, and ecosystems security. The need for transboundary cooperation is an essential element for effective integrated water resources management, stipulated in SDG 6.5.
GEF IW focal area support has been for more than 25 years focused on interventions on preventative actions in transboundary basins and shared aquifers facing multiple stressors and hence potential for conflict on national and regional levels, implementing the TDA-SAP approach, allowing countries to create common interest and to invest in regional cooperation improvement of the status of transboundary water systems. The TDA-SAP process offers common, participatory fact-finding and agreement on cooperative opportunities and shared constraints and a vision for a shared future. 90 countries currently have agreed SAPs or are currently engaged in their formulation.
This session provided to conference participants an interactive platform for discussion and mutual learning, related to participatory fact-finding and strategic planning processes in both transboundary basins and shared aquifers. They exchanged their views, experiences and national perspectives on how to make SAPs operational and how to mobilize political support and public and private finance for SAP implementation at both international and national levels. They discussd how SAPs include climate change adaptation measures; should climate change be an integral part of the basin planning process, mainstreamed across all water users and sectors? Policies coherence and cross-sectoral co-ordination/co-operation towards implementation of SAPs; linkages between SAP targets and indicators with national reporting on progress on SDGs and delivery towards multilateral environmental agreements commitments were explored and best practices were shared among the session participants.
Building Traction of the TDA-SAP Process Toward 2030 and Beyond: From Formulation Through Implementation
(Coastal Zone and Marine World Café)
1600-1730
Location: Agdal Hall
Session Coordinator: Kathrin Hett, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
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Intrinsically linked to prosperity and economic growth, healthy marine ecosystems have gained high-level global and national attention as critical to sustaining life on earth. In SDG 14, the international community committed to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.
In September 2018, the UN began its first round of inter-governmental negotiations to draft the world’s first international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (also known as the BBNJ Process).
One of the main challenges for the future will be to ensure conservation and promote sustainable utilization of resources both within and beyond the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and to ensure an effective mechanism for cooperation between inter-governmental organizations and regional arrangements in the marine space.
The TDA-SAP development approach for the management of Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) is consistently used to develop management strategies for LMEs. As such, it serves as an example of a mechanism to ensure cooperation to (1) identify a set of common goals and (2) ensure coordination of joint action at the regional level to achieve those goals. Under this perspective, the TDA-SAP has similarities with other mechanisms aiming at similar goals (Regional Seas Organizations, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, future regional cooperation to be established under the BBNJ Process). Recognition of these connections opens the door to sharing experiences and lessons about effective development and implementation of regional plans.
This World Café session looked at three themes:
1. EEZ-ABNJ– Connections between TDA-SAPs, Regional Seas, RFMOs and the BBNJ Process
2. Use of marine spatial planning– coastal, and marine/ABNJ in SAPs and related ocean strategic planning processes
3. The role of non-State actors in the effective formulation and implementation of the SAP and related ocean strategic planning processes
Day Two
Partnerships and Synergies
Tuesday 6 November 2018
The Water Museum
Shark Tank
Tuesday 6 November 2018
0900-1030
Location: The Water Museum Conference Room
Session Coordinators: Session Coordinators: Christian Severin, Global Environment Facility; Keiron Brand, Aaron Vermeulen and Sarah Davidson, World Wildlife Fund for Nature; Keith Lawrence, Conservation International
“The GEF has not kept pace with the growing opportunities for partnership with the private sector. Only 43 percent of respondents to IEO’s survey agree that the GEF’s ability to engage the private sector is a comparative advantage” (GEF-7 Strategy). GEF IW Project Managers are directed to engage private sector organizations (companies, non-governmental organizations and private foundations) as a key element of their replication, sustainability and co-finance strategies. But GEF IW projects continue to face barriers to partnering with the business community, including “Most companies are unfamiliar with the GEF”; “The GEF and private sector vocabularies are different”; and “GEF activities are perceived as taking too long to satisfy private sector timeframes”. This session introduced the concept of a bankable project, and demonstrated the “do’s and don’ts” when communicating the value proposition/business case for business community engagement in GEF IW projects.
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In this event, experts from a range of organizations, including the business community, reviewed bankable project pitches from project representatives. It was based on the popular TV show Shark Tank/Dragons’ Den, but the setting was more constructive, and focused on progressing the projects toward funding and implementation.
Each project provided a high-level pitch that introduced the project to the “Sharks” (and the audience). Following each pitch there will be a short Q&A driven by the Sharks. Sharks also provided advice to the projects and make the project representatives and audience aware of any organizations and teams that could provide support.
Pitchers:
- Jose Matheickal, Deputy Director, Marine Environment Division, International Maritime Organization
- Carlos Fuenteveilla Finny, Regional Project Coordinator, FAO
- Keiron Brand, Bankable Initiatives Advisor, World Wide Fund for Nature
- Neel Inamdar, Partner, Wilderness Markets
Sharks:
- Ger Bergkamp, President and CEO, ARCOWA
- Adrian Ross, Chief Technical Officer, PEMSEA
- Carla Littlejohn, Riversymposium and Twinning Officer, International River Foundation
- Xavier Vincent, Lead Fisheries Specialist, World Bank
Tuesday 6 November 2018
1100-1230
Location: The Water Museum Room 1
Session Coordinator: Sulan Chen, GEF Small Grants Programme
Download Summary
Yellow Sea Civil Society Organization Presentation
Al Hoceima Marine Park - AGIR Project Presentation
South China Sea and Caribbean - Presentation (Van der Beck)
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The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) is a corporate program funded by the GEF and implemented by UNDP to support local action to address global environmental challenges. SGP provides financial and technical support to communities and civil society organizations to protect the environment while addressing poverty reduction and community empowerment.
Local successes, if not being scaled up, have limited impacts and cannot reverse the environmental degradation trend in oceans and seas. Recognizing partnerships are essential to scaling up, SGP has worked with GEF full-sized IW projects to practice integrated ocean and coastal management through implementing regional action programs at the local level and integrating local actions to regional frameworks.
Speakers:
- Andrew Hudson, Head, Water & Ocean Governance Programme, United Nations Development Programme
- Sulan Chen, Program Advisor, GEF Small Grants Programme
- Isabelle Vanderbeck, GEF IW Task Manager, UN Environment
- Jose Padilla, Regional Technical Advisor, UNDP
- Yinfeng Guo, Project Manager, UNDP/GEF Yellow Sea Project
- Houssine Nibani, President, Integrated Resource Management Association (SGP grantee partner)
Tuesday 6 November 2018
1100-1230
Location: The Water Museum Room 2
Session Coordinator: Michela Miletto, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - World Water Assessment Programme
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The GEF Policy on Gender Equalitycommits all GEF projects, including IW ones, to develop a strategy and action plan on gender to guide specific actions to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women, and to monitor progress towards impacts and the broader adoption of gender sensitive policies and practices.
In 2018, the GEF launched the GEF Gender Implementation Strategy, which combines the strategy and action plan into one document to provide a comprehensive framework to support the operationalization of GEF’s new policy. In line with this, the Guidance to Advance Gender Equality, provides detail on practical steps and required actions to implement the principles and mandatory requirements specified in the Policy with a focus on gender-responsive design, implementation, and monitoring of GEF programs and projects. The Annual Monitoring Reviews show that gender mainstreamingtends to be stronger in the land degradation project portfolio (82%), followed by the biodiversity and international water portfolios (50%),and the climate change adaptation portfolio (40%). These focal areas typically involve on-the-ground activities in the local communities, where the participation of both women and men play a key role in attaining project objectives. Reviews also indicate that project proposals, as well as monitoring and evaluation reports submitted by GEF Agencies, often lack gender-specific information due in part to the absence of gender specific guideline and criteria in the GEF project templates and guidelines.
The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and Strategic Action Program (TDA-SAP) process recommended by GEF as the most appropriate methodology for initiating remedial actions in a transboundary waterbody, be it a Large Marine Ecosystem, a River Basin or an Aquifer System, represents the ideal framework within which to embed the analysis of gender roles in water related matters, identify gender issues of concern and inequalities (TDA), and eventually reach agreement on necessary andfeasible remedial action aimed at advancing gender equality as well as more effective water resources management (SAP).
This workshop aims to present to GEF IW project designers, managers and beneficiary country stakeholders a draft methodology for introducing gender consideration in IW Foundational Projects. The different roles played by women and men in water supply, stewardship and management at the different levels, from the household to the governments and to transboundary water management bodies, should in fact be unraveled as part of the definition of the baseline of every foundational IW projects: a baseline upon which the project strove to bring about measurable improvements in terms of transboundary cooperation and water security. The promotion of gender equality and women empowerment must be part of this effort toward overall water security and resources sustainability.
The workshop proposed for discussion with the participants a “draft working protocol” for introducing gender consideration into the TDA-SAP process in order to further tailor it to specific GEF project needs. It is expected that this dialogue with IW project stakeholders provided crucial elements for the definition of the methodology, while at the same time expanding the participants knowledge on the available tools for a science-based approach to gender analysis.
1100-1230
Location: The Water Museum Room 3
Session Coordinator: Katharine Cross, International Waters Association; Oluf Jessen, DHI
Extreme climate events are a reoccurring theme of many transboundary diagnostic analyses (TDA) and strategic action programmes (SAP). The IW focal area of the GEF identified the increased frequency and unpredictability of floods and droughts as a priority concern in transboundary contexts, along with the other multiple drivers that cause depletion and degradation of shared water resources.
Responding to these needs, GEF IW has produced on online Flood and Drought portal (http://www.flooddroughtmonitor.com/home), which can support transboundary basins in their planning processes, including developing and updating their TDA and SAP. The portal provides planning support to combine, consider and address multiple priority stresses for individual water bodies with a view to optimizing water resources management.
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The portal has a number of technical applicationsto assistland, water and urban area managers operating in transboundary river basins to recognize and address flood and drought impacts including their increasing magnitude, variability and unpredictability. The applications can be applied individually or together to incorporate information on floods, droughts and future scenarios into existing planning processes across scales.
The development and use of this portal also responds to the GEF-7 Strategy, especially under strategic action 3.1, which focus on “Advanc[ing] information exchange and early warning. This includes use of ‘Flood and drought early warning systems and disaster risk management plans”, as well as “Enhanced capacity to gather, distil and process data sources into policy relevant analysis”.
The workshop provided in-depth knowledge on how such methodology and tools focusing on planning with climate change can specifically support the TDA-SAP process. The session was an opportunity to explore pathways for applying the tools in the Flood and Drought Portal across the GEF IW freshwater portfolio to improve planning and management of water resources in the context of climate variability and change.
The applications are designed to be used across more than 220 transboundary basins worldwide. The workshop also included insights from some of the testing basins (Volta, Lake Victoria and Chao Phraya Basins) on their experiences with the package of tools, and how they have been or are being integrated into their planning processes.
From Environmental Pressures to Investment Solutions Using the TDA-SAP and GEF Programmatic Approaches
1100-1230
Location: The Water Museum Conference Room
Session Coordinator: Lorenzo Galbiati, UN Environment Mediterranean Action Plan
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The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis/Strategic Action Programme (TDA-SAP) Approach is a highly collaborative process that has proven to be a major strategic planning tool for GEF International Waters Projects over the last 16 years. The TDA provides the factual basis for the formulation of the SAP. The TDA is a facilitative process of engagement and consultation with all the key stakeholders from the initial steps of the TDA to the subsequent development of alternative solutions during the formulation of the SAP. The TDA is a mechanism to help the participating countries to 'agree on the facts'.
The SAP is a negotiated policy document, and once endorsed by the government of the countries, it establishes clear priorities for action (for example, policy, legal, institutional reforms, or investments) to resolve the priority transboundary problems identified in the TDA though interventions which take place at the national level. As an additional step, when the TDA and SAP are agreed upon, the countries define and approve National Action Plans (NAPs), which identify hotspots of intervention at the national level.
During this session, the Mediterranean and Caribbean LMEs discussed their experiences in implementing the TDA-SAP Approach. This exchange was enriched by the experience of two Mediterranean Countries (Lebanon and Morocco), which shared best practices and lesson learned in the execution of the SAP and NAPs, and by the contributions of the European Investment Bank, which is supporting the investment component of the GEF Multifocal Areas Programmatic Approach: the Mediterranean Sea Programme (MedProgramme): Enhancing Environmental Security.
Technical Site Visits
Tuesday 6 November 2018
1330-1800
Location: Various
Technical site visits, “Past, Present and Future of Water Management in Morocco,” highlighted a range of water management challenges faced by the country, and traditional and new approaches to combat these challenges. Site itineraries were made available closer to the conference, and may include visits to the Marrakesh Palm Grove, khetteras and seguias in the city vicinity, the Marrakesh Medina, city gardens, private sector facilities and GEF Agency projects.
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Day Three
Tools and Practices for IW Practitioners
Wednesday 7 November 2018
Jardins de l’Agdal Hotel
New Practices and Tools for More Informed Decisions and Better Management of Systems (Kickoff)
Wednesday 7 November 2018
0900-1030
Location: Agdal Hall
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Pillar Coordinators: Steffen Hansen, Global Environment Facility; Dimitris Faloutsos, Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean; Yumiko Yasuda, Global Water Partnership
There are a number of evolving technologies that have the potential to “disrupt” traditional development paradigms. Many of these innovations can help us rethink how countries plan and manage water and other natural resources, including in a transboundary setting.
These “disruptive technologies” can be grouped in many different ways. This session focussed on three such groupings: helping us rethink decisions; helping us rethink decisions; and helping us rethink interaction. The real power of disruption comes in the way these technologies are combined and deployed to solve development challenges. They have tremendous potential in changing the way development happens around the world and also bring in concerns that need to be effectively managed.
This plenary session also kicked off the subsequent clinic carousel, with experts (“doctors”) providing a 1-minute “teaser” advertisement on their clinic topic.
Speakers:
- Nagaraja Rao "Harsh" Harshadeep, Lead Environment Specialist, Global Lead (Disruptive Technology), World Bank
- Blake Ratner, IW Panel Member, GEF STAP
New Practices and Tools for More Informed Decisions and Better Management of Systems (Clinic Carousel)
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Wednesday 7 November 2018
1100-1230
1400-1530
Location: Agdal Hall
In the Clinic Carousel, "doctors" led "patient-focused" sessions on their topic of expertise, in a campfire-style format (group huddle). The individual clinic topics and “how to” questions have been framed as part of a demand driven approach across the IW portfolio and constitutes a chance for practitioners/countries (“patients”) to connect with the doctors and identify tools and solutions capable of solving very real challenges on the ground and across the IW portfolio. While many of the clinics topics and tools are not new per se, they continuously undergo refinement and often have yet to be mainstreamed across the IW portfolio.
Participants officially have the option to attend two of the eight clinics offered in each 90-minute block. After 40 minutes, a horn sounded, signalling the end of the clinic. Ten minutes is allocated for participants to move to another clinic and doctors to reboot.
CLINIC ROUND 1
(1) How can we use economic valuation to bridge the science to policy gap? [Clinic Summary]
Christian Susan, UNIDO
To set the ground for the participatory session the clinic shortly elaborated on the concept of values, on the total economic value of ecosystem services and the underlying principles for the determination of the total economic value. Particular attention was given to the importance of externalities and the difference between private and public costs/benefits. A short outlook was given to the tiered tools that have been developed under the GEF IW:LEARN 4 project for the actual implementation and use of the economic valuation of “wet ecosystem services”. The doctor/moderator then solicited experiences from the GEF portfolio on how the economic valuation tool has been already been used to inform decision making processes and the allocation of resources. This set the ground the participatory process/ discussion how the participants consider that the economic valuation tool can be used to bridge the science to policy gap. With a short wrap-up of the key messages the clinic closed its doors.
(2) How will the updated TDA-SAP guidance assist my project?
Peter Whalley, GEF IW:LEARN
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GEF IW:LEARN has been updating the 2013 TDA-SAP guidance manual by including experiences and practices from recent selected GEF global projects that have generated documents on specific topics that can assist projects in the TDA-SAP process. The GEF has delivered more than 30 TDA-SAPs over the last 20 years and this is the third update of the GEF guidance on developing TDAs and SAPs. The update includes guidance and links to manuals on Economic Valuation of Ecosystems, LME:LEARN, Floods and Droughts Management Tools, Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme (TWAP), Gender Mainstreaming and Groundwater Governance developed by GEF projects. The clinic presented an overview of the updates to the TDA-SAP methodology and how this can be utilized by GEF IW projects. Patients were welcome to seek advice from all at the clinic in finding the best approaches to undertake TDA-SAP activities to avoid common pitfalls. All welcome to present their TDA-SAP related ailments!
Michela Miletto, UNESCO-WWAP; Sarah Davidson, WWF
This clinic began with a brief summary of the new GEF Policy on Gender Equality to put the discussion in context. The “doctors” then worked to diagnose and respond to some of the most frequent questions coming from IW project “patients”, with concrete tips and tools on how to implement the new GEF Policy on Gender Equality in relation to IW projects. Participants are encouraged to bring their own urgent gender mainstreaming questions!
(4) How can my fisheries project help deliver more fish in the ocean, more food on the plate, and more prosperity for coastal communities?
Tim Fitzgerald and Alexis Rife, Environmental Defense Fund
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This clinic focussed on collaborative, science-based approaches for developing successful fisheries outcomes. We began with a brief overview of EDF’s new Sustainable Fisheries Toolkit. Then, based on the project backgrounds of attendees, the group chose its own adventure and dive into an interactive exploration of one of the following topics: designing fisheries management systems that meet the goals and needs of fishing communities; making science-based decisions in data-limited situations; determining biological, social, and economic performance indicators for your fishery; or linking fisheries management with marine reserves.
Aurélien Dumont and Alice Aureli, UNESCO-IHP
A general review of the specificities of groundwater resources and aquifers in terms of assessment, incentives for use, benefits, and governance served as the starting point of this clinic. Tools covering the same areas were proposed to the patients, depending on their needs, as a basis for discussion, so that they are better capacitated to make groundwater visible in decision-making and transboundary cooperation initiatives.
(6) How to measure and understand ecosystem health: practical tools for inland and coastal waters
Derek Vollmer, Conservation International
Most people recognize that healthy ecosystems are an important component of successful GEF-IW projects. But making these connections explicit is often easier said than done. This clinic discussed two user-friendly resources for measuring, understanding, and managing ecosystem health from multiple perspectives—the Freshwater Health Index and the Ocean Health Index. These science-based tools assess the status and trends of the benefits that people receive from freshwater and marine ecosystems, such as clean water, fisheries, and recreational uses - as well as the overall condition of these ecosystems, and governance factors that impact ecosystem health. Data-rich interfaces and practical guidance documents provide a range of stakeholders —managers, planners, communities, businesses, civil society organizations and policymakers — with the information they need to incorporate ecosystem health into decision-making processes. Participants heard about experiences from coastal and inland applications from around the world and learn how they could start using the tools in their own projects.
Miriam Balgos, Global Ocean Forum
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This clinic began with a brief overview of ABNJ and its management and the ABNJ programs and projects conducted within the framework of the GEF IW focal area. The "doctor" then responded to questions coming from IW project "patients" regarding addressing ABNJ issues through the TDA-SAP process within the context of the GEF-7 objective on ABNJ, existing management frameworks for ABNJ and LMEs, and the ongoing process of establishing an international legally-binding instrument on ABNJ under UNCLOS.
Chris Cox, GNC; Wilfried Winiwarter, IIASA; Sara Walker, WRI
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This clinic explored best practices and strategies to address harmful nutrient impacts from field to watershed scale. Participants learned about the nutrient challenge and tools to assess environmental health impacts. The clinic aims to discover opportunities for replication and to attract investment through your project to your community.
CLINIC ROUND 2
(9) How do I capture the value of coral reef and related ecosystem services?
Liz Izquierdo, CCRES
This clinic began with a summary of how the tools developed by CCRES assist people, governments and NGOs improve coastal resources management and develop sustainable livelihoods. Then, using real-life examples from their practice with the tools in the East Asian Seas, the “doctors” diagnosed questions from participants and prescribe solutions for sustaining and capturing the benefits of coastal ecosystems.
(10) How do I build a project website and visualize my spatial data? And how can access data to support critical transboundary decision making?
Nagaraja Rao Harshadeep, World Bank;
Miles Macmillan-Lawler, GRID-Arendal
The clinic introduced you to the IW:LEARN web toolkit (https://iwlearn.net/learning/toolkits), a custom toolkit for building project websites that adhere to the IW:LEARN website guidelines. The clinic demonstrated how to request a new web toolkit site, give an overview of the features of the web toolkit, and highlight the resources available to help you build your site using the web toolkit.The clinic also introduced the IW:LEARN visualisation toolkit (https://iwlearn.net/learning/toolkits/geonode) – a powerful toolkit for storing, finding and visualising spatial data. The clinic gave an overview of how to use this toolkit to store your project spatial data, combine it with other data layers and create interactive visualization for inclusion in websites and other project communications.The final element of the clinic demonstrated how we can benefit from free global data and analytical services (from increasingly powerful earth observation and in-situ data curation) and how countries can promote more open “analysis-ready” data formats to allow users to access, visualize, and interact with data and analytical services. It also introduced concepts of data service catalogs, making customized “interactive dashboards” to support decisions drawing on these data, analytical, and visualization services in the form of interactive portals, apps, or e-books.
(11) How do I diagnose and treat weak governance? An exercise regime
Lauren Wenzel, NOAA; Wojciech Wawrzynski, ICES
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This clinic began with an brief overview of the GEF LME:LEARN Governance Toolkit and the challenges of ocean governance. We then used a checklist to diagnose common ocean governance challenges, weaknesses and ways to address them with clinic participants. Participants shared their questions and knowledge with each other to spark new or different approaches to address governance issues that are essential for successful IW projects.
Christopher Corbin, CReW
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This clinic began by providing an overview of the importance of wastewater management with examples from the Wider Caribbean Region and the implementation of the GEF funded Caribbean Regional Fund for Wastewater Management (CReW) Project. The “doctor” identified ongoing challenges, opportunities and approaches for improving the management of wastewater including a circular economy approach. Innovative financial and technological solutions as well as approaches for changing behaviours and perception about wastewater reuse were highlighted. The clinic concluded with how lessons learned from CReW are being used to inform the design of a follow up CReW+ Project Proposal.
(13) How can I better plan for floods and droughts?
Katharine Cross, IWA; Oluf Jessen, DHI
Flooding, drought and other climate extremes are not new to us. However, we are prone to the impacts and need to deal with the increasing frequency, unpredictability and severity of these natural occurrences. In this clinic, our “doctors” put forward a smart water management tool enabling water resources managers to prepare and plan for flooding and drought events. The “patients” were not only able to plan and manage water resources but also make decisions on impactful investment across their basins which in turn contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sarah Davidson, WWF; Heath Kelsey, UMCES; Chris Cox, GNC; Maija Bertule, DHI
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The TDA-SAP development process has similarities and overlap with the River Basin Health Report Cards process created by WWF and UMCES, and used by UNEP in a GEF project context. We suggest an adaptation of the report card process that results in co-development of the TDA with stakeholders. This process resulted in indicators that are contextually relevant and provided added value to the TDA process through fostering shared visioning, fostering new collaborations as leverage points for future action, establishing baselines, and prioritization of transboundary problems. We highlighted the overlap between the two processes, introduce to practical indicator tools that can support the process, and demonstrated the value of stakeholder engagement in indicator selection through an interactive role playing exercise designed to integrate multiple knowledge streams in value setting, indicator selection, and conceptualization.
(15) How to address climate change in transboundary basins, including tools, approaches and good practices
Sonja Koeppel and Hanna Plotnykova, UNECE
Climate Change is significantly impacting water resources in transboundary basins (e.g. water quality and quantity, ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss). Adapting to climate change involves developing vulnerability assessments, adaptation strategies and action plans, but also incorporating climate change adaptation into strategic documents focused on river basin management as well as sectoral strategies and plans. In particular, within the GEF projects climate change adaptation can be integrated into TDA, SAP, implementation of practical measures and demonstration projects. Therefore, this session showed how to mainstream climate change adaptation into national strategies and plans, how to integrate it into the GEF projects, how to prioritize adaptation measures and find funds for their implementation.
(16) How to apply Source-to-Sea management in practice
Dimitris Faloutsos, GWP-Med; Louise Whiting, FAO
This clinic began with the doctor indicating the practical challenges in terms of implementing the S2S approach (being a management integration tool). The “patients” built around these, putting their experience forward in terms of challenges. The doctor then proposed “therapies” and facilitate discussion on how and to what extent these therapies work in the field. The discussion revolved around the following questions: What are the components of a source-to-sea system? How to determine the boundaries of the source-to-sea system/reference area? How to define and analyze the components of the anthropogenic and natural environment within a source-to-sea system /reference area as well as how to define and analyze the interactions among these components? Which stakeholders to involve, when and how? and how to design and monitor intervention strategies.
Getting the News Out: Communicating Your Project Results
1600-1730
Location: Bahia
Session Coordinator: Tiina Kurvits, GRID-Arendal
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Information is not enough. If it were, we wouldn’t be facing a global climate, extinction and pollution crisis. There would be no need for the GEF because these problems would have been solved. And there would be no need for IW:LEARN because the work it undertakes would not be necessary.
But human beings do not make decisions solely based on information. Creating “new knowledge” is not much use if your audience does not connect in some way. And connection is not just an intellectual response, it is emotional. Connection leads to action.
One of the best ways to connect is through storytelling. Telling stories is part of what makes us human. But it requires a clear focus and clear language. Translating scientific concepts into a format that is easy to understand takes practice. IW:LEARN is a good platform for communicating a wide variety of topics to multiple audiences. This session offered tips on how to write a story and how to promote it using social media.
Managing International Waters Projects
1600-1730
Location: Menara
Session Coordinator: Mary Matthews, United Nations Development Programme
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Managing a GEF International Waters project is an exciting endeavor and requires a wide range of technical and administrative skills. Most GEF IW Projects have different implementing and executing agencies and at least two countries for the project manager to juggle. Additionally, budgets are always tight, currency values change, plans seem vague, and the ebb and flow of the national and regional institutions can create significant drag. Add to these challenges the responsibility for supervising international and multidisciplinary teams, hiring and directing hordes of consultants, and keeping your steering committee in the loop. It is no wonder that the GEF IW Project Managers are some of the most adaptive and resilient in the world. The project manager has to be very careful in addressing technical issues that may lead to political problems between the countries. She must review all the project outputs to ensure of that.
Yet implementing and executing agencies, steering committees, national counterpoints and other partners are all aware that there are traits that make for great project managers. Many Chief Technical Advisors do not have a strong high-level management background, and many who may have strong managerial experience do not possess the technical finesse necessary to captain a project through the international waters. There is a unique challenge in fostering national level project ownership while dancing to balance respect for national cultures and maintaining neutrality. A key benefit of working in the GEF IW Community is the immense opportunity to learn from others in your similar positions, to rely on adaptive management, creative problem solving, trialing innovative approaches all while building the emergent national capacities in your region.
This session discussed—through the exchange of good practices, lessons learned, and question and answers with project managers—how to overcome the hurdles that can frustrate project leadership, and how to turn seeming insurmountable difficulties into opportunities for project growth and development. Topics covered were: planning, team management, capacity building, leadership and delegation, communicating with stakeholders and using design thinking to foster innovation that will benefit the greater GEF IW Portfolio.
1600-1730
Location: Agdal Hall
Session Coordinator: Youssef Filali-Meknassi, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - International Hydrological Programme
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Governments across the globe face pressure to improve how they allocate and spend resources, and deliver public goods and services. In this regard, data, information and knowledge are critical for understanding how to share and use limited resources to respond to the needs of people, the economy and the environment. This forms the basis of science-informed decision-making process, and ensures a sound management and governance of water resources.
Knowledge derives from contextualized information, which itself consists of data (i.e. raw facts) that has been processed, organized and structured data to make it meaningful and usable. Despite the increasing gathering and availability of data in many parts of the world, the use of information to inform policies for improving the management of fresh and marine water resources remains limited. Reasons include a shortage of financial and human resources, a lack of commitment and investment from political leadership, gaps in technical skills, and an absence of clearly defined strategies and mechanisms to support the sharing and use of data and information. Those elements represent major development and management challenges for countries and GEF project managers.
In order to guarantee the efficiency of projects implemented, as well as their sustainability—i.e. the capacity of countries to seize and implement sound management of water resources – it is essential to develop tools to foster the access to and use of information and knowledge by decision-makers and water-stakeholders at large. Strategies in this sense include the implementation of visualization tools, the use of open-access, the creation of communities of practice, etc.
This session discussed— through the exchange of good practices and lessons learned—how such tools can be effectively implemented and used to favor sound, science-based decision-making, harnessing the results of GEF IW projects and fostering the sustainable management of water resources.
1600-1730
Location: Koutoubia
Session Coordinator: Alejandro Iglesias Campos, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
With the support of the Government offices of Sweden and the European Commission.
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Intensified activities in coastal and marine waters require integrated planning and decision-making and enhanced efforts, including transboundary coordination, to achieve sustainability and improved management. Traditional inshore activities such as local fishing and tourism are increasingly in conflict with new activities such as mariculture, renewable marine energies, scientific research, military activities, among others, while in offshore waters new developments pose potential challenges in the management of ocean space to avoid spatial conflicts between shipping, foreign fisheries, mineral development, bioprospecting and energy development, among others.
MSP is viewed as a public analysis and allocation process for the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives that have usually been specified through a political process bringing together the different users of the ocean in order to address multiple objectives and make coordinated decisions.
Therefore, MSP is an important means to achieve global ocean governance goals and Agenda 2030 by fostering integrated management practices to protect and restore marine and coastal ecosystems, avoid significant adverse impacts, strengthen resilience, and promoting healthy and productive oceans.
The session provided the context for active and effective participation of policymakers, stakeholders, scientists and citizens to discuss on how to improve governance at multiple levels, including cross-border and transboundary planning in large marine ecosystems as the recipe to achieve an ecosystem-based approach to supporting the ocean economy.
Speakers:
- Aomar Bourhim, Government of Morocco
- Eva Rosenall Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management
- Annie Hermansson, Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management
- Patrick Debels, CLME
- Bernard Brou, United Nations Development Programme
- Dixon Waruinge, Nairobi Convention, UN Environment
- Lucy Scott, Agulhas-Somali Current LME
- Jennifer O’Leary, The Nature Conservancy
Day Four
Tools and Practices for IW Practitioners
Thursday 8 November 2018
Jardins de l’Agdal Hotel
Transformational Solutions for Long-Term Sustainability of Ongoing and New Interventions (Kickoff)
0900-1030
Location: Agdal Hall
Pillar Coordinators: Leah Karrer, Global Environment Facility; Christopher Warner, World Bank
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This session talked to the future by briefly highlighting the big ideas for achieving breakthroughs in the IW space in three critical areas: (1) blue economy; (2) nature-based solutions; and (3) circular economy. The discussion included: Outlining the big ideas/ building blocks for transformation in each theme; How to switch and reward investment in sustainability to break the cycle of degradation; Strengthening governance and enabling conditions; Rethinking/aligning the TDA-SAP with blue economy; and the role of the GEF Partnership in the above.
The three lead experts from the three breakout sessions to follow (nature-based solutions; circular economy; blue economy) each provided an inspirational overview of their topic, laying out the key issues, the status of action globally and the required building blocks for achieving the required change in trajectory/ transformation.
This was supported by a discussion on the financial aspects of the three themes. The speakers then participated in a moderated audience facing discussion with emphasis on implications for IW projects, including the TDA-SAP process. This was by Q & A between the panelists and from the floor.
Moderator:
Manolo Clar Massanet, Sustainability Associate Expert, UNEP-MAP
Speakers:
- Felix Preston, Deputy Research Director for Energy, Environment and Resources, Chatham House
- Stefan Uhlenbrook, Coordinator and Director, UN World Water Assessment Program
- Xavier Vincent, Lead Fisheries Specialist, World Bank
- Mark Pevsner, Senior Advisor - Advisory Services, European Investment Bank
Transformational Solutions: Nature-Based Solutions (Breakout)
1100-1230
Location: Menara
Session Coordinator: Derek Vollmer, Conservation International; Colin Apse, The Nature Conservancy
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Becoming Boring: How can Nature Based Solutions be accepted as mainstream solutions to freshwater, climate and economic development challenges?
This session highlighted the important role that natural ecosystems, and ecosystem-based management, can and must play in meeting goals for water security, climate resilience, and economic development in both inland and coastal environments.
Protecting upland forests, constructing treatment wetlands, restoring coastal mangroves, and “green infrastructure” interventions more generally can make major contributions to these goals, but have typically been underinvested in historically. Nature-based solutions (NBS) have made major technical progress and are more feasible than ever. Technical challenges do remain, but NBS upscaling is also hindered by policy environments and financing mechanisms that favor more conventional gray infrastructure.
Following a brief overview presentation on the state of NBS and their role in the green/blue economy, participants debated and discuss topics such as:
- How to combine green and gray infrastructure solutions
- Tools and approaches for incorporating NBS into spatial plans
- Accounting methods that reflect that full value of NBS to regional economies
- How can NBS be financed? Are NBS ‘bankable’?
The session was to be informal, interactive and open for inputs from all. Participants included project managers of NBS projects, technical leads, and others interested in these solutions.
The discussion addressed the main challenges and barriers that must be overcome to make NBS accepted and implemented as mainstream solutions; participants shared their experiences of applying NBS; and the group identified a broad portfolio of existing and planned NBS initiatives.
Speakers:
- Sarah Davidson, Manager, Water Policy, WWF-US
- Stuart Banks, Americas Division/ Marine Science Manager, Conservation International
- Chris Warner, Senior Natural Resource Management Specialist, World Bank
- Maciej Zalewski, Team Expert; ERCE Center Director, UNESCO-IHP
- Colin Apse, Africa Freshwater Conservation Director, The Nature Conservancy
Transformational Solutions: Circular Economy (Breakout)
1100-1230
Location: Koutoubia
Session Coordinators: Nilguen Tas, United Nations Industrial Development Organization; Isabelle Vanderbeck and Jill Raval, United Nations Environment; Liz Izquierdo, Capturing Coral Reef and Related Ecosystem Services Project
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Circular economy is an industrial economy that is restorative by intention, aims to rely on renewable energy sources, and systemic innovation is at its core. It is a new way of creating value, through extending product lifetime and relocating waste from the end of the supply chain to the beginning - in effect, using resources more efficiently by using them more than once. For instance, plastics are versatile materials that have many uses in construction, irrigation, food, clothing, footwear, furniture, automotive, among other sectors.
Extending lifetime of plastic products by repairs, reuse, sharing, and recycling or upcycling does not only conserve embedded energy and labor in such products with positive impacts on emissions, but is also the most effective strategy to reduce land-based sources of pollution of our freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems. Employing designs that ease their disassembly, sorting and recycling; process innovations that replace toxic inputs with alternatives, reduce water and energy use in production, recycle wastewater for reuse; new business models that replace ownership with access so that consumer uses the product as a service are some of the new practices that circular economy approaches offer.
Whether a product is made from biological materials of agriculture, fishery and forestry origins or technical materials extracted by mining; such as minerals, petroleum, and chemicals and other synthetic materials not based on biological nutrients, closing the loops in production and use with circular economy practices returns nutrients back to nature and are transformational solutions towards sustaining health of our ecosystems.
Speakers:
- Felix Preston, Deputy Research Director, Energy, Environment and Resources, Chatham House
- Jan Willem Vosmeer, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Heineken International
- Brank Dunjic, Chair, Executive Committee of RECPnet
- Cargele Masso, INI- Africa Regional Director, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
- Liana McManus, Project Coordinator, GRID-Arendal
1100-1230
Location: Agdal Hall
Session Coordinators: Henry DeBey, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Julian Barbiere and Alejandro Iglesias Campos, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization- Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
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Coastal areas, the ocean and their resources represent strategic assets in which the majority, if not all, of the countries are increasingly investing, in sectors such as coastal tourism, aquaculture, energy production and maritime transport. National authorities view these ocean activities as promising opportunities for the diversification and integration of their economies.
A closer analysis of the extent of issues covered in SAPs and NAPs and the number of NAPs formulated from SAPs revealed that some of the LMEs GEF has invested in have NAPs formulated. In some cases, the NAPs are indeed national plans that cover a spectrum of issues but more often they are limited to recommendations for investments as seen in the GCLME and the ASLME. In another LME, the NAPs were based on themes or issues such as mangroves and seagrasses. One common feature among the few NAPs formulated and implemented is weak national ownership and investment in the SAP and NAPs, and therefore reliance on subsequent GEF funding to undertake the needed actions.
The GEF’s inclusion of the Blue Economy in its 7th Programme is an opportunity to strengthen the relevance of SAPs and NAPs to national governments and the private sector and to increase their investment in managing the resources of their EEZs so that can break their dependence on GEF funding.
The key question is how do we take advantage of these opportunities especially given our experience of working with financial institutions on Blue Economy, working on strategies at country and regional levels, and implementing Blue Growth interventions at national and local scales?
The session discussed how the blue economy contributes to the blue growth of the countries by providing basic socio-economic benefits in terms of food security, safety and job creation.
Speakers:
- Julian Barbiere, Head of Marine Policy and Regional Coordination Section, UNESCO-IOC
- Alejandro Anganuzzi, Global Project Coordinator of Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project, FAO
- Iolanda Brites, National Coordinator of the Blue Economy Programme, MIC-TAF in Cape Verde
- Nasma Jrondi, Permanent Expert for Environmental and Sustainable Development, Council for Sustainable Development, Morocco
- Sulan Chen, Program Advisor--International Waters and Chemicals & Waste Management, GEF Small Grants Programme, UNDP
- Xavier Vincent, Global Lead for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, The World Bank
Adopting the Water Funds Model for Sustainably Financed Source Water Protection of GEF IW Project Basins
1400-1530
Location: Menara
Session Coordinators: Colin Apse, The Nature Conservancy
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The session was a targeted session to support GEF IW stakeholders in exploring whether the Water Fundmodel is an appropriate fit for their source water protection and restoration ambitions. Guided by trainers in a peer-learning environment, the session participants examined the Water Fund Project Cycle and begin to apply the feasibility steps required to begin a Water Fund development process. The session explored application and adaption of the Water Fund model in transnational basins, such the Cubango-Okavango Basin, as well as smaller urban source water basins, like the Upper Tana in Kenya.
Whether the participants’ goal is to protect water sources from an identified threat such as sedimentation, improve water yield, or scale up catchment restoration activities, a Water Fund can be a useful tool to address many different social and conservation needs. This participant-led workshop was organized by The Nature Conservancy’s Africa Water Funds team, in collaboration with WWF North Africa and FEMSA Foundation.
Participants were also be provided with the opportunity to learn about a new capacity building program for protecting water at its source. This included the demonstration of new tools—a state-of-the-art Toolbox, Training, and Network—built around the globally-relevant, consensus-based best practices approach for developing Water Funds.
Learn more at: how a water fund works; Water Funds Field Guide; Sub-Sharan Africa’s Urban Water Blueprint; Beyond the Source: the environmental, economic and community benefits of source water protection; Nairobi WF Business Case;
See case-studies at: Nairobi WF, Kenya; Cauca Valley, Colombia; New Mexico, USA; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; WF Training
1400-1530
Location: Agdal Hall
Session Coordinator: Alejandro Iglesias Campos, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization- Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
With the support of the AQUACROSS Project financed by Horizon 2020 of the European Commission.
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The aim of this session was to understand the social and ecological system of transboundary regions to design a multifunctional Green and Blue Infrastructure network—with conservation, exploitation and restoration objectives—and implement Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) measures with a comprehensive focus on freshwater, coastal and marine realms.
Economic activities such as the agriculture, livestock, fisheries and tourism are highly dependent on terrestrial and aquatic resources. The aquatic ecosystems provide a vital range of provisioning goods, and cultural, regulation and maintenance services for sustaining human well-being.
Green and Blue Infrastructure combines in one single solution an EBM outcome that balances conservation, restoration and exploitation objectives. The Green and Blue Infrastructure multi-zoning approach offers co-benefits in terms of ecosystem and biodiversity conservation as well as human well-being, while minimizing the potential conflicts between conservation and exploitation goals.
The local and regional experiences observed through the exchange of good practices and lessons learnt at the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean: Andalusia (Spain) – Morocco (IBRM) served to identify key areas that allow conserving biodiversity, maintaining ecosystem services capacity, and restoring degraded ecosystems, while minimizing costs. The results suggest that implementing EBM restoration measures when designing Green and Blue Infrastructure may result in greater coverage, while improving connectivity across its core and conservation zones.
The session discussed on the potential measures to improve EBM for transboundary water ecosystems as an example for projects to be developed within the framework of GEF-7 and the context of IW.
Speakers:
- Chifae Mrikim, UNESCO-IOC
- Beatriz Martin, UNESCO-IOC
- Juan Arevalo, UNESCO-IOC
- Najat Serraj, Morocco Ministry of Sustainable Development
- Mercedes Garcia Padilla, Head of the Research and Development Unit, Spanish Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua
- Mohammed Amrani Hanchi, Morocco Ministry of Sustainable Development
Learning from the Past for Next Generation Source-to-Sea in Asia and Beyond
1400-1530
Location: Koutoubia
Session Coordinator: Louise Whiting, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Donneth Walton, Asian Development Bank
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Ecosystems along a continuum from source-to-sea are being degraded as an unintended consequence of economic activities that might happen far upstream or downstream in the source-to-sea system (Granit. J. et al, 2017). This is happening primarily for two reasons: first, a lack of awareness and understanding of the land-to-sea ecosystem linkages and flows of water, sediment, pollutants, biota and ecosystem services. Second, a lack of capacity and know-how to avoid or mitigate the interconnected threats and negative impacts coming from multiple sectors and multiple resource users.
The S2S approach aims to address these barriers and achieve the sustainable development of national or shared river basins from the source to the discharge into coastal areas by highlighting the dynamic connections between terrestrial and marine environments and raising awareness among stakeholders of how one group’s resource use affects other users and vice versa.
Agriculture in the broadest sense (crops, livestock, aquaculture and fisheries) is frequently the biggest user of water along a S2S continuum in Asia, particularly the large-scale irrigation schemes that dominate Asia. Agriculture has a significant (and often worsening) impact on freshwater ecosystems in terms of water quality, quantity, timing of river flows and connectivity as well as the supply to domestic and other users. The FAO approach to S2S, therefore, is prioritising concrete investments that focus on a small number of priority flows stemming from the agricultural sub-sectors. The approach seeks to enhance positive flows(clean water, biota, biodiversity) and reduce negative flows(agro-pollutants, sediments, etc.). Activities can include watershed rehabilitation, improved irrigation and on-farm water management, farmer field schools to change/reduce agro-pollutants, ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, green infrastructure including mangrove restoration, natural capital accounting and market-based instruments to support sustainable production.
The S2S in Asia session was designed to facilitate an in-depth exchange between practitioners that are already implementing projects, proponents that are designing future projects and investors that are financing S2S projects across Asia. This exchange helped to underpin a new and improved generation of S2S projects both in Asia and beyond.
Integrated Ridge-to-Reef Approaches in Pacific SIDS: Perspectives and Experiences
1400-1530
Location: Bahia
Session Coordinator: Jose Padilla, United Nations Environment Programme
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The GEF has been supporting programs and projects that implement integrated approaches to address environmental issues in SIDS around the world. Within the limited geographic confines of small islands, integrated ridge-to-reef approaches are appropriate to tackle biodiversity loss in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, degradation and loss of habitats, pollution of the groundwater, land degradation, carbon sequestration, among others. This session brought together project proponents from the Pacific to share experiences and lessons learned. It is expected that these served as guideposts in designing and implementing R2R projects in SIDS in the Pacific and elsewhere.
In the Pacific during the GEF 5 replenishment period, a programmatic approach entitled “R2R- Pacific Islands Ridge-to-Reef National Priorities – Integrated Water, Land, Forest and Coastal Management to Preserve Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, Store Carbon, Improve Climate Resilience and Sustain Livelihoods” is currently being implemented. The program consists of 15 child projects – 14 national R2R projects and a regional program support project. All the 14 Pacific SIDS that are beneficiaries of the GEF are implementing on-the-ground integrated approaches at either the catchment level and/or in small islands or atolls. These national child projects are supported programmatically and technically by the program support project, which on its own has demonstration activities in each of the SIDS. The R2R program is a showcase for a multi-focal, multi-trust fund and multi-agency regional program.
The Way Forward: Sustaining IW Cooperation
1600-1700
Location: Agdal Hall
Session Coordinator: Christian Severin, Global Environment Facility
The closing plenary featured reflections on the IWC9 and the take-home messages from each of the conference’s principal sessions. The implications of these messages in the context of future implementation of GEF IW projects and sustaining international waters cooperation were discussed.
A ceremonial transfer of the Conference Cup to the next host region concluded the conference.
