Indicators for Water and Sanitation under the Global Goal on Adaptation: What’s at stake at COP30 and beyond

Expected Outcomes:

• Reinforce advocacy messages for COP30 negotiations to retain balanced water and sanitation indicators.
• Clarify the technical/political rationale for ensuring cross-sectoral integration.
• Position water and sanitation stakeholders as essential partners in operationalizing the GGA indicator framework.

Key Questions to be addressed during the event:

• How do the proposed water and sanitation indicators contribute to the GGA objectives?
• Why is it important that water and sanitation are adequately represented in the final list of GGA indicators?
  • Too many things to unpack under 9a – highlighting the absolutely critical aspects that needs to be included under water 
  • Competition of MOI vs thematic targets 
  • Explain how all the 10 indicator relate to MOI – comprehensive implementation of the framework
  • Process vs outcome (tbc) 
• How do water and sanitation indicators underpin resilience across other thematic areas?
• Is it possible that adaptation indicators are designed and used not only for UNFCCC reporting lines, but as tools that strengthen resilience across global frameworks such as the SDGs, Rio Conventions, and the Sendai Framework, recognizing that adaptation cannot advance in isolation?
  • Added value of the ongoing UNFCCC Paris Agreement process in terms of addressing reporting burden of Rio Conventions, while respecting mandates related to different conventions 
• What roles could  thematic stakeholders and custodian agencies (e.g., JMP, GLAAS, IMI-SDG6) play in ensuring credible monitoring and comparability?

Programme:

Opening keynote (10 min):

• Tove Lexén, WaterAid

Presentation of the water sector’s key messages (10 min):

• Manuel Eckert, SIWI

Interactive discussion about the key messages proposed, guided by the key questions (40 min) – moderated by Ingrid Timboe, AGWA

• Experts from the UNFCCC-appointed indicator groups
• Custodian agency (e.g., WHO/UNICEF JMP, UN-Water IMI-SDG6) 
• UNECE Representative (SDG 6.5.2 – Transboundary
• Climate negotiator or Party representative
• Water and sanitation sector advocate 
• GGA influential stakeholders

Interactive engagement with the audience (25 min):

•  Ingrid Timboe, AGWA

Concluding remarks summarising the agreed key messages to bring to the negotiations (5 min):

• Chiara Colombo, IWMI