Green water connects climate adaptation with resilient food systems, healthy ecosystems and sustainable land use. It includes soil moisture, vegetation water use, evapotranspiration and land–atmosphere moisture flows – yet these dimensions of the hydrological cycle remain insufficiently reflected in climate, water and land-use policy, planning and investment.
This session will pre-launch the Green Water Flagship Initiative to be presented at the 2026 UN Water Conference, a Member State-led coalition that brings together governments, scientific institutions, financial actors and implementation partners to make green water measurable, governable and investable, and to strengthen consideration of the full hydrological cycle in decision-making.
Combining technical insights with policy and implementation perspectives, the session will explore how advances in green water metrics, diagnostics, monitoring and modelling can inform climate adaptation and landscape resilience. WUR and other scientific partners will present emerging approaches and practical applications, followed by a discussion on how these can be translated into policy, investment and action.
The session will provide a key milestone towards the Flagship Initiative’s next phase, while strengthening the contribution of green water to the climate agenda.
