Building Resilience through multi-stakeholder collective action

More than 90% of the world’s disasters are climate related, with water at the centre of it (UNEP, 2024). Effective management of water resources and protection of natural eco-systems are key to building resilience to climate shocks. Best practice examples on  how countries, communities and public -private stakeholders have adapted responses to meet these challenges, provides an important opportunity for global learning on how IWRM and climate adaptation approaches advance resilience efforts. This event on ‘Building Resilience through multi-stakeholder collective action” showcases different, multi-level examples from public, private and Indigenous Leadership collaboration, addressing shared water and sanitation risks and the collective responses to reduce its impacts.  The session identifies key transferable lessons from different regions of the world and suggests practical ways in which these could be applied to advance resilience efforts in response to climate disasters. The intention is to ensure that these collective action efforts are supported, recognised and linked to national and sub-national resilience processes and efforts.

Programme:

Welcome and Opening Remarks (5 min):

• Moderator: Dr. Kate Strachan, ICLEI Africa

Keynote address – setting the scene for why multi-stakeholder collective action matters for Governments (8 min):

• Tito Livio Pereira Queiroz e Silva, Deputy Executive Secretary Ministry of Integration and Regional Development, Brazi

A Global initiative ‘in flow’ – The Freshwater Challenge

• Paula Martinelli, Global Water Advocacy Officer & Freshwater Challenge Coordinator, Wetlands International
• Teddy Taylor, Climate Change Assistant & National Focal Point Freshwater Challenge Initiatives & Action for Climate Empowerment, Department of Multilateral Environmental Agreements(MEAs), Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia.

Setting the context: Introducing Panellists and Background to Discussion

• Moderator: Dr. Kate Strachan, ICLEI Africa

Panel (45 min)

• Government perspective: Blantyre Mulanje Water Fund/ Watershed Investment Programme: Dr Lucy Mtilatila, Director in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change 
• Private Sector/ Water Stewardship Collective Action – Insights from Diago, Kristin Hughes
• Lynda Hopkins, Chair, Bay Area Air Quality Management District
• Fresh Water Challenge Insights, Paula Martinelli, Wetlands International
• Joshua Wickerham, Senior Advisor, Outreach and Engagement, ISEAL

Keynote – From River Personhood to Sponge Planets: Integrating Indigenous Wisdom and Landscape-Led Design for Water Resilience (10 min):

•  Dr. Bruno Marques, President IFLA

Key Messages: Outcomes of session – and lessons for beyond conference

• Manuel Eckert, SIWI

Thanks and Closure

• Moderator: Dr. Kate Strachan, ICLEI Africa