Arab Initiative for Mobilizing Climate Finance for Water (AIM Climate Finance for Water)
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
(
United Nations / Multilateral body
)
#SDGAction52303
Description
Climate finance for the water sector was identified as a priority accelerator at the Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Water Action Decade (Beirut, May 2022). The meeting highlighted the importance of climate finance for adaptation related to water and that funding should target areas most vulnerable to climate change. The initiative builds regional capacity to mobilize finance for water action under a changing climate. This objective supports regional and global commitments to increase adaptation finance so that it becomes on par with mitigation finance. This is particularly relevant for the water-scarce Arab region where only one-third of international public climate finance flows are directed towards adaptation. Arab States have also repeatedly emphasized the importance of adaptation in the water sector and water-dependent sectors in their nationally determined contributions and in their national and sectoral policies and plans. The initiative supports the Arab Strategy for Water Security in the Arab Region to Meet the Challenges and Future Needs for Sustainable Development 2010-2030 and its action plan, as adopted by the Arab Ministerial Water Council. Specifically, the initiative responds to the axes of work on climate change and water sector financing. The initiative draws upon efforts to institute a science-based approach for targeting water actions at the regional, national and watershed levels, as supported by the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Arab Region (RICCAR), which is coordinated by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in collaboration with the Arab Centre for the Study of Arid and Drylands (ACSAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other partners in support of the Arab Strategy for Water Security. The AIM Climate Finance for Water Initiative also builds on FAO’s Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI), which supports member countries to pursue water and food security for sustainable development under mounting water scarcity and climate-related risks. RICCAR and WSI are supported by the Swedish Government. The initiative complements efforts pursed under the auspices of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) to prepare an Arab States Climate Finance Access and Mobilization Strategy, which is being facilitated by the League of Arab States, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and ESCWA. It also draws upon practical guidelines prepared by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) on designing water-climate resilient projects to support water security. The initiative responds to an ESCWA Committee on Water Resources recommendation to strengthen member States’ capacities in scientific, policy and financial tools for mainstreaming climate considerations in development planning, budgeting and financing. This is supported by work on climate mainstreaming undertaken by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and ESCWA, which complements the regional climate change capacity building activities supported by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), and their respective green projects programmes. Collectively, these efforts provide the knowledge base for this Arab Initiative for Mobilizing Climate Finance for Water.
As stated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, public finance, both domestic and international, will play a vital role in providing essential services and catalysing other sources of finance. Climate finance can help to foster integrated water resources management and transboundary water cooperation under a changing climate and support efforts to scale up climate-smart practices across water-related sectors. Interventions include climate-smart irrigation techniques, investments in non-conventional water resources, water efficiency and conservation improvements, and efforts to establish effective future-proof systems for rainwater harvesting and water reuse that advance adaptation and support mitigation co-benefits. Mobilizing public sector finance is important for ensuring water for all in a sector where the right to water and sanitation needs to be upheld despite the significant financial constraints facing Arab States. The Arab region suffers from US$1.4 trillion in debt, which is reducing the fiscal space available for joint water and climate actions where cost recovery is more difficult to achieve in the short term. This requires improved access to concessional finance and grants to support water projects that can help countries adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change. This is particularly the case of the six Least Developed Countries that receive just five per cent of climate finance flows to the region. Blended finance, private sector engagement and well-designed business models are needed as well. Mobilizing finance for water projects under a changing climate requires well-informed targeting of interventions that can support water security with respect to freshwater resources and water-dependent sectors, including agriculture, ecosystems, energy and health. Building capacities to develop the climate rationale for water investments can help to unlock access to global, regional and multilateral funds and financial institutions that aim to expand their climate resilient investments and achieve balance between their mitigation and adaptation portfolios. It also requires improved capacity for costing adaptation and demonstrating the benefits and cost savings generated by water and water-related projects in the short, medium and long term under projected climate scenarios and given disaster risks. Increased capacity in developing bankable and affordable project pipelines that respond to national needs can strengthen national commitments and sectoral strategies for mobilizing finance. The initiative engages a range of stakeholders in the identification and targeting of water projects for climate finance in Arab States. Special focus will be placed on fostering opportunities for multi-country and transboundary basin projects that support water cooperation under climate change. FAO’s inter-Regional Platform on Water Scarcity (iRTP-WS) and Climate Change Knowledge Hub can play a role in pooling expertise from other regions. ESCWA’s Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies and the RICCAR Regional Knowledge Hub will leverage knowledge resources and partnerships within the Arab region for advancing the initiative. High level engagement and guidance will be provided through the Arab Ministerial Water Council, the Council for Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment and their constituent members.
Partners: • League of Arab States – Technical Secretariat of the Arab Ministerial Water Council (AMWC) and Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) • Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) • Green Climate Fund (GCF) • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) • Government of Sweden • United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) Collaborating institutions: • Arab Centre for the Study of Arid and Drylands (ACSAD) of the League of Arab States • Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFSED)
• Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Water Action Decade (https://www.unescwa.org/events/arab-regional-preparatory-meeting-midterm-comprehensive-review-water-action-decade) • Climate Finance needs and flows in the Arab Region – ESCWA (https://www.unescwa.org/publications/climate-finance-needs-flows-arab-region) • Towards COP27: Arab Regional Forum on Climate Finance (https://www.unescwa.org/events/towards-cop27-arab-regional-forum-climate-finance) • Arab Ministerial Water Council and Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment – League of Arab States (http://www.lasportal.org) • Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Arab Region (RICCAR) (https://www.riccar.org) • Sectoral guide: Water security – Green Climate Fund (https://www.greenclimate.fund/document/sectoral-guide-water-security) • Arab States Climate Finance Access and Mobilization Strategy – UNFCCC Needs Based Finance Project (https://unfccc.int/news/working-to-close-the-climate-finance-gap-in-the-arab-region) • Sectoral guide: Water security – Green Climate Fund (https://www.greenclimate.fund/document/sectoral-guide-water-security) • Arab States Climate Finance Access and Mobilization Strategy – UNFCCC Needs Based Finance Project (https://unfccc.int/news/working-to-close-the-climate-finance-gap-in-the-arab-region) • Islamic Development Bank – Climate Change (https://www.isdb.org/climate-change) • Water Scarcity Initiative – FAO (https://www.fao.org/neareast/perspectives/water-scarcity/es) • Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development – Green Projects Program (https://www.arabfund.org/Default.aspx?pageId=54) • Arab Centre for the Study of Arid and Drylands (https://acsad.org/en) • Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies – ESCWA (https://www.unescwa.org/acccp )
SDGS & Targets
Goal 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.1.1
Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
6.2
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.2.1
Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water
6.3
By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.3.1
Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated
6.3.2
Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4
6.4.1
Change in water-use efficiency over time
6.4.2
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
6.5
By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.5.1
Degree of integrated water resources management
6.5.2
Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation
6.6
6.6.1
Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time
6.a
6.a.1
Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan
6.b
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
6.b.1
Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management
Goal 13
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
13.1
Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
13.1.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
13.1.2
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
13.1.3
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
13.2
Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.2.1
Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
13.2.2
Total greenhouse gas emissions per year
13.3
Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
13.3.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
13.a
Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
13.a.1
Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025
13.b
Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities
13.b.1
Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Goal 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
17.1
Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
17.1.1
17.1.2
17.2
Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.2.1
17.3
Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.1
Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.2
17.4
Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.4.1
17.5
Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.5.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.6.1
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.7.1
Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies
17.8
Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.8.1
17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.9.1
Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.10.1
17.11
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
17.11.1
Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
17.12
Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
17.12.1
Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States
17.13
Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
17.13.1
17.14
Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
17.14.1
17.15
Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
17.15.1
17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.16.1
Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
17.17.1
Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure
17.18
By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.18.1
Statistical capacity indicators
17.18.2
17.18.3
Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding
17.19
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
17.19.1
17.19.2
Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration
SDG 14 targets covered
Name | Description |
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Deliverables & Timeline
Climate finance policy brief focused on the water sector
Regional climate finance forum on water for Arab States
Costing adaptation workshop, with focus on water sector
Tailored training and technical support delivered to Arab States on the preparation of evidence-based project pipelines on climate finance for water, including national, regional and multi-country projects
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Action Network
Timeline
Entity
Region
- Africa
- West Asia
Other beneficiaries
Arab States and stakeholders in the water and climate sectors.
More information
Countries
Contact Information
Carol, Director, Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies; Cluster Leader, Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability Cluster, ESCWA