It was standing room only at the Water for Climate Pavilion opening, as high-ranking officials and climate activists called for greater inclusion of water in climate policies and financing mechanisms at COP29.
The Pavilion, which unites over 70 organizations from diverse sectors, opened with statements from Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon and Prince Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, Climate Envoy of the Netherlands, who chaired the 2023 UN Water Conference. As they prepare to pass the UN Water Conference presidency to the UAE and Senegal for 2026, their message was clear: water policy cannot be sidelined if climate goals are to be met.
Prince Jaime pointed to a recent report from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, which warned that poor water management, compounded by climate change, is putting half the world’s food supply and as much as 15% of global GDP at risk by 2050. “That alone should shock us into action,” he said.
Retno P. Marsudi, the newly appointed UN Special Envoy on Water, pointed to a “paradox of plenty” in water initiatives, stressing that, despite an abundance of projects, many operate independently and lack cohesive direction. “We know that the challenge…is fragmentation,” Marsudi explained, calling for unified strategies that streamline resources and deliver measurable benefits to communities.
Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister for Energy and Sustainability Affairs from the UAE, underscored the critical role of water in the Global Goal on Adaptation, a key topic at COP29. “While all seven thematic targets of the Global Goal on Adaptation are water-dependent, it is noteworthy that water is explicitly referenced as the first thematic target,” he said. By 2050, he continued, two-thirds of the world’s population will experience high water stress for at least one month each year.
Meanwhile, Tony Agotha, EU Special Envoy for Climate and Environment, emphasized the cumulative impacts of water use. Noting that COP29 has drawn tens of thousands of attendees to Baku, he asked the audience to consider their daily water habits like showering. “Do you think the water is free? These are the little things…that can have a huge effect, because the water pressure on Baku at this moment is huge.”
Turning the conversation to financing, youth climate leader Elizabeth Wathuti, called for water’s full integration into COP’s financing mechanisms. “Water is a driver for energy pathways, economic equity, and our human well-being,” she said, noting that only 10% of global water investments currently go toward green water projects like conservation efforts. Additionally, Wathuti said, more financing needs to reach the local level. She highlighted an initiative from Africa’s Water Fund, which has created over 17,000 jobs and generated more than $67 million in annual food sales in local African communities.
She also called for dedicated water finance within the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) framework on climate adaptation.
The Water for Climate Pavilion will host over 40 sessions and lead nine working groups connected to UNFCCC mechanisms, such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Global Goal on Adaptation. Nearly 40 envoys from the Pavilion will support negotiations on key topics like adaptation, mitigation, finance, and beyond.
With over 80 water-related events taking place outside the Pavilion and 40 within, water has gained significant attention at COP29. The events and discussions over the next 10 days aim to ensure that water’s essential role in climate action is embedded in the policies and commitments that emerge from COP29.
“I’m here to champion…the integration of water into policy decisions where it is treated as an afterthought,” said Wathuti. “It’s time that we treated water infrastructure and climate measures with the same seriousness.”
