UN 2023 WATER CONFERENCE
Water for Peace: From Source to Sea
The Government of Bangladesh, the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and Deltares are hosting a panel discussion at the UN 2023 Water Conference to discuss how river basin management, harnessing water availability and governance are closely tied to promoting regional cooperation, peace and stability.
Event description:
Bangladesh has taken several initiatives to manage its huge water resources from source to sea and build climate and disaster resilience. The Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 was formulated to secure the future of water resources and mitigate the likely effects of climate change and natural disasters. Initiatives have been undertaken to form the High-Level Forum for the Delta Governance Council and establish the Delta Wing to support the successful implementation of this long-term plan.
Worldwide, water governance is key to peace and solidarity, particularly for deltas with transboundary river systems. Access to water and related key flows like sediments, biota, minerals, pollutants and ecosystem services are vital for the water, food and energy security of delta inhabitants. The ‘source to sea (S2S) approach’ holistically captures the interdependence and feedback of socio-ecological systems along the land-water-delta-estuary-coast-nearshore-ocean continuum. If we conceptualize the hydrological pathway from source-to-sea regarding the three mighty river systems, we can break down this pathway into cross-border flow, in-house freshwater reserve within the country, the delta aspect, the coastal hydrology and the marine resources. All the sectors can be interlinked by the delta management approach. In this regard the BDP100 adopted the Adaptive Delta Management (ADM) approach which can be fully integrated with the S2S management for the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basins.
Management of water and sediment is combined with establishing national and regional policies, data and knowledge transfer; aligning socio-economic sectors with cultural values; developing regional capacity; reinforcing strong governance, and more. The Adaptive Delta Management (ADM) approach can support the S2S development through an adaptive and integrated plan to enable robust and flexible decisions in delta under uncertain changing conditions.
The adoption of the “Blue Economy” concept is key to unlocking the potential for better access to sea and ocean resources. Strategies for renewable energy include institutional framework, hydropower, harnessing tidal power, solar power energy etc. and associated financing. Strategic considerations for wetlands management include the conservation and preservation of wetlands and ecosystem through institutional capacity building, research and awareness raising programs, restoration establishing greenbelt, and preservation of mangrove ecosystem. As highly vulnerable to climate change as agriculture sector is, implementation of water strategies and interventions are a major part of protecting this sector from the adverse effects of natural disasters and climate change.
River basin management, harnessing water availability and governance are closely tied to promoting regional cooperation, peace and stability. The development of institutional frameworks for effective basin-wide management within and among transboundary countries, knowledge-sharing on basin-wide management with other similar countries, updating the participatory water management framework for supporting participatory basin-wide management, developing and implementing guidelines to restore, harvest and optimize use of water resources can prove to critical for an effective S2S approach in GBM context.
TENTATIVE PROGRAM
Opening Remarks by Chief Guest: H.E. Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, MP, Hon’ble Foreign Minister of Bangladesh
Keynote Address: Mr. Malik Fida Abdullah Khan, Executive Director, Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), Bangladesh
Panel Discussion (to be moderated by Dr. Md. Kawser Ahmed, Member (Secretary) General Economics Division, Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh)
- Ministerial Representative from Germany/India/Austria/Egypt/ Nepal/Portugal/ Spain
- Mr. Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Patrick Verkooijen, CEO, Global Center on Adaptation
- Alessio Giardino, Senior Water Expert, ADB
- Rose Mattews, Director, S2S platform (TBC)
- Mr. Toon Segeren, Director, Deltares International
Closing Remarks: H.E. Zaheed Farooque, MP, Hon’ble State Minister of Bangladesh, Ministry of Water Resources