Welcome to the Water for Climate Pavilion 2025

As COP30 concluded in Belém, a clearer picture is emerging of how the world intends to measure and strengthen climate resilience. The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), established under the Paris Agreement, has moved from a challenging conceptual exercise to a more actionable framework marking a significant shift since COP29.

The KO14 Activation Group gathered at COP30 to take stock of progress and set a more ambitious direction for 2026. With growing momentum behind water solutions and new Plans to Accelerate Action, the group called for deeper cross sector leadership to position water at the heart of climate resilience.

Belém, Brazil — The Water for Climate Pavilion opened inside the Bairro do Mutirão para Cidades, Água e Infraestrutura with a clear message: investing in water smart solutions is essential to resilient economies, healthy communities, and a livable planet. Throughout the inauguration, speakers called for stronger multilateral cooperation and inclusive governance to translate global commitments into results that people can feel in their daily lives.

The UAE – Belém work programme on indicators to the GGA Framework should conclude at COP30, but heading into the negotiations, several aspects are still controversial. For ensuring the long-awaited holistic action that the world urgently needs on adaptation, Parties must decide on a robust and balanced set of indicators in the Water and Sanitation Target, and the GGA Framework as a whole.

A new space for cities, water, and infrastructure to drive collective climate action. At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the Water for Climate Pavilion will join forces with UN agencies, and international coalitions to co-create the Neighbourhood of the Mutirão for Cities, Water and Infrastructure, co-hosted by the Ministry of Cities and the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development of Brazil, a first-of-its-kind space in the COP Blue Zone dedicated to collective climate action across cities, water, buildings, and infrastructure.

During the 62nd Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies, held last month in Bonn, AGWA and Water for Climate Pavilion partners brought together experts for a side event focused on the Global Goal on Adaptation - which took place two days prior.

At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan the Water for Climate Pavilion continued to evolve its approach, building on past success, the collective came together, not only as a space for water organizations to meet at a climate conference, but also as a platform for collective action across sectors and joint ventures for political influence. With 72 Core Partners, over 50 high-impact events, and thousands of engaged participants and viewers, the Pavilion unified the voice of the international water community and highlighted the role of water inside UNFCCC processes and dialogues

The UN Climate Conference (COP29) wrapped last week leaving some delegates bitterly disappointed over the final outcomes and others relieved that the talks didn’t collapse entirely. The conference, fittingly held in Baku’s Olympic Stadium, was a titanic clash of interests between developed and developing countries. Negotiations dragged into overtime as delegates struggled to reach consensus on key issues like climate finance and fossil fuels.

The 2026 United Nations Water Conference is already drawing high expectations as water experts convened at the COP29 Water for Climate Pavilion for an informal consultation in preparation for the event.

Negotiations have stalled at the COP29 climate talks in Baku, as countries grapple over how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So far, proposals to phase out coal, curb deforestation, and set concrete methane targets have met fierce resistance, threatening progress on mitigation—the cornerstone of efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius.

On Food, Water, and Agriculture Day at COP29, the spotlight at the Water for Climate Pavilion was on “Locally Led Adaptation and Systems Strengthening,” a theme that underscored the urgent need to shift climate action from high-level discussions to community-driven solutions.

We spoke with Michael Kakande, founder of Resilient40, about the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) negotiations, the demands from the Global South, and the role the water sector should play in the finance discussions.

José Gesti, Water for Climate Pavilion Envoy on the Global Goal on Adaptation and Senior Climate Advisor at Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) shared insights on the discussions at COP29 and outlined what lies ahead in advancing these critical adaptation efforts.

At COP29 Water for Climate Pavilion, climate experts urged countries to make water a central focus of their national climate plans. They warn that without prioritizing water in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), efforts to address climate change and build resilience could fall short.