Official side event at COP28, from incubation to financing for adaptation: accelerating the development of Water and Climate projects

The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) organized, on December 11, 2023, a side-event entitled “From incubation to financing for adaptation: accelerating the development of Water and Climate projects” at COP 28 in Dubai, in partnership with the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) and the World Water Council (WWC).
 
Discussions were moderated by Mrs. Khaoula Jaoui, OSS Climate Department Director and included H.E. Mr. Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water of the Kingdom of Morocco and President of the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO), Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra, OSS Executive Secretary, Mrs. Sandrine Rocard, Director General of the Agence de l'Eau en Seine-Normandie (AESN), Mr. Mahamat Abakar Assouyouti, Senior Climate Change Specialist with the Adaptation Fund (AF), Mr. Ababakar Mbaye, Representative of the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS) and Mr. Lance Gore, Senior Water Resources Specialist at the Asian Development Bank.

This meeting aimed to share best practices and experiences in the development and financing of climate change adaptation projects in the water sector and to identify the main challenges and opportunities with a view to speeding up their development, and to promote collaboration and partnerships between stakeholders involved in climate change adaptation.

In his speech, Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra emphasized the integration of water in all programs, through the Water-Energy-Food Security-Ecosystems Nexus approach, for the achievement of the three Rio conventions’ objectives.
 
He also recalled the importance of an efficient natural resources management and the development of knowledge through the production of map data on water resources related topics.

Drawing lessons from the OSS experience in the strategic development of adaptation projects, Mr. Ben Khatra encouraged the promotion and implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) in order to develop ecosystem services and to increase the resilience of communities to climate change. He also recommended promoting the joint management of surface and groundwater and developing alternative water resources.

He called on technical and financial partners to provide support to the States in collecting and updating Water and Climate data and to ensure real involvement of the various stakeholders in the projects development and implementation process. He also underlined the need to build the capacities of the countries in mobilizing climate financing, including the financing of incubation phases, and to ensure flexibility of the mechanisms in order to facilitate access to climate financing for countries and create funding windows dedicated to water resources at the AF, the GCF and the dedicated fund for loss and damage.