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.
NDCs and NAPs are critical tools in the global effort to combat climate change and adapt to its effects. Under the Paris Agreement, every country commits to submitting NDCs, which detail their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate impacts like drought, flooding, and sea-level rise. NAPs, in contrast, focus on adaptation strategies and their implementation, particularly for vulnerable sectors, aiming to build resilience to climate change’s immediate and long-term impacts.
The current COP29 discussions are particularly timely because countries are approaching the 2025 deadline for their next round of NDCs, covering targets through 2035. Experts argue that the new submissions must reflect “highest possible ambition,” requiring that countries strengthen their commitments and actions based on recent climate science. In this round, increasing focus on water could make the difference in how effectively the global community meets both mitigation and adaptation goals.
“Sometimes we hear that adaptation is an optional component of NDCs. But 81% of NDCs include adaptation,” said Jose Gesti, Water for Climate Envoy for the Global Goal on Adaptation and Senior Climate Advisor at Sanitation and Water for All (SWA). “If climate negotiators tell us that adaptation is optional, we can still say it’s a big interest for developing nations to make sure that NDCs contain a strong adaptation chapter, and a correlation with the NAPs.”
Water has traditionally been underrepresented in NDCs, yet its significance in adaptation, resilience, and even mitigation is growing. “COP28 really changed the momentum for increasing the ambition of the NDCs and NAPs. It made organizations very curious to understand how water supply, sanitation, hygiene, transboundary issues are already incorporated, or not, into the NAPs and NDCs,” said Gesti.
A recent review by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), conducted with support from UNDP and GIZ, shows that while 85% of NDCs published between 2019 and 2022 have included more references to water, tangible targets for water-related adaptation and mitigation measures are still limited.
For instance, only 45% of NDCs include measures around water supply and sanitation, often focusing on access rather than resilience. Water’s role in climate mitigation, with the exception of wastewater, was rarely highlighted as a stand-alone priority. Furthermore, connections between water and energy efficiency are limited.
“A lack of tangible targets may be a barrier for securing financing or agreements due to a lack of common understanding,” said David Hebart-Coleman, Senior Program Manager at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
Gesti also presented a joint study which looked at all 198 NDCs submitted by parties to the Paris Agreement as of May 2024. Only 5% of the NDCs submitted up to May 2024 have water supply as a high priority.
Gesti and partners also reviewed the 58 NAPs submitted to the UNFCCC to date, all of which were from developing countries. Developed countries are not required to submit their NAPs. Sixty-one percent designated water supply as a high priority, defined as having at least three or more water-related priorities.
The call for better data was echoed by experts across regions.
Dr. Callist Tindimugaya, Commissioner of Water Resources Planning and Regulation in Uganda, said his country is committed to giving more priority to water. However, he said, there is a need for robust data to measure resilience: “We don’t have enough data and information…putting indicators and monitoring frameworks is very key.”
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Ibrahim Eldukheri, Director General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), also stressed the importance of data in guiding the region’s climate resilience efforts. He pointed out that while most countries in the region have included agriculture, water, and land in their climate strategies, the need for strong data is clear: “Our region is known for its water scarcity, so our work focuses on ensuring that water security and water resource areas are covered in the NDCs. It’s important to have good data to help the decision-making process.”
Manohara Khadkha, Country Representative in Nepal for the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), also emphasized the role of scientific evidence in shaping effective policy. She noted that Nepal faces a myriad of challenges – from protecting diverse agriculture and ecological services to the need to deliver clean drinking water to 80% of the population. “There is a need for research and scientific evidence. We need more partnerships and finance to make the role of the water sector very visible in the climate space.”
The session concluded with presentations on tools designed to help countries fill the data gaps and integrate water into their climate plans:
The Water Resilience Tracker assesses NDCs, NAPs, and other national climate documents. Using a comprehensive questionnaire, it covers water’s role as a risk, a sector, and a resource. It also examines institutional frameworks, water governance, and the water-climate connection across sectors. The tracker is currently being applied in Brazil, which will host COP30 in 2025, to support the revision of its NDC and the creation of its first NAP. Ten countries have completed the tracker process, with over 20 more in the pipeline.
The NDC Navigator 3.0 is an interactive tool that supports the 2025 NDC development process by helping countries identify past challenges and successes. It addresses common gaps, such as data needs, costing measures, stakeholder engagement, and finance mobilization, to enhance the ambition and implementation of future NDCs.
Finally, the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Arab Region projects the impact of climate change and the vulnerability of water-dependent sectors in the Arab region, where 86 per cent of the population lives under water scarcity. It provides climate projections for the Mashreq area, for example, down to a 10 km scale, offering policymakers a range of future scenarios for water availability and socio-economic impacts.
With COP29 discussions advancing, experts hope that by incorporating water more comprehensively in climate plans, countries will strengthen their climate resilience and adaptation capabilities, addressing both local and global water challenges effectively.
