High-Level Panel

Climate change is exacerbating both water scarcity and water-related hazards, as rising temperatures disrupt precipitation patterns and the entire water cycle. It is estimated that 80% of the impacts of climate change are felt through water and the crisis will only intensify in the future.

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, the Water and Climate Coalition Leaders issued an urgent and united call for integrated water and climate action to replace the existing fragmented and crisis-driven approach.

On 12 August 2021, AMCOW, in collaboration with the UNDP, UNICEF, AUDA-NEPAD, AfDB, GCA, and GWP launched a partnership to convene an International High-Level Panel on Water Investment for Africa.

On 8 September 2021, the Executive Committee of AMCOW commended the effort of the convenors and formally adopted a Decision for the inauguration of the Panel.

In 2017, the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace launched its report “A Matter of Survival” with recommendations on how to promote water as an instrument for cooperation and peace, including through innovative financing for water cooperation. At the 9th session (2021) of the Meeting of the Parties to the 1992 Water Convention, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) launched the publication on Funding and Financing transboundary water cooperation and basin development, also presenting innovative Financing Initiatives, including the Blue Peace Financing Initiative.

The High-Level Panel (HLP) is intended to be a follow up event after the plenary session of the celebration of the UN-World Water Day 2022 organized by UNESCO and UN-WATER about the topic of the UNWWDay Groundwater: Making the invisible visible. The HLP panel will allow to organize a larger and in-depth debate about the UN Development Report 2022 that is presented the 21st of March at the opening with the participation of high-level countries representatives and high-level experts. The HLP is meant to discuss how groundwater can be a response to water security challenges.

The main objective of the session is to promote the Water-Energy-Food-Environment Nexus approach for a sustainable response to development needs.
Specifically, it will aim to
- Promote a better understanding of the water-energy-food-environment nexus concept for the development of synergies;
- To map the relationships and mutual impacts between these different sectors;
- To bring out good practices and innovative solutions to make the Nexus approach operational;
- Define methods of cooperation to maximize the benefits of the nexus.