Urban Water Resilience and Local Climate Action

Cities are on the frontline of climate-driven water challenges: from floods and droughts to water quality and access. This session explores how Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) can address these issues while delivering broader benefits for biodiversity, public health, and community resilience.

Water resilience is at the core of climate adaptation, yet cities, utilities, and industries continue to face mounting risks from droughts, floods, groundwater depletion, and extreme weather. Building resilience requires an integrated view of the entire urban water cycle—both above and below ground.

By 2050, nearly 6 billion people will live in cities, placing immense strain on water resources and risking severe shortages. To ensure sustainable and equitable water use, we must adopt Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) to reconnect cities with their natural water basin on which they depend. Simultaneously, Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) is crucial for integrating safe and sustainable sanitation into urban planning for everyone.

The panel will present Brazil’s National Program for Indigenous Water, Sanitation and Waste Management (PNSI), an intersectoral government initiative that aims to ensure universal access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and waste management services in Indigenous territories. The discussion will highlight Brazil’s integrated approach to combining infrastructure development, environmental protection, and Indigenous participation in governance, highlighting experiences and solutions that contribute to climate resilience, health promotion, and the protection of Indigenous rights.

How evidence-based tools enable reporting, accountability, and scaling up of locally led actions in urban and basin contexts

An opportunity to learn from multi stakeholder collective action initiatives focused on building climate resilience and impact through water. It showcases best practice examples that addresses site, catchment or river basin level challenges and highlights how through dialogue, joint action and water stewardship partnerships, impactful change can be achieved. These efforts are often not recognised and acknowledged in national planning and reporting processes, despite the scale of impact and contribution to long term resilience. Lessons on how to improve public sector recognition and strengthen linkages, will be explored.

As climate pressures intensify, managing water across boundaries demands both scientific insight and diplomatic skill. This session brings together diverse voices to discuss inclusive approaches for resolving water conflicts and fostering collaboration. It underscores the vital role of trust, dialogue, and shared learning in advancing global climate resilience.