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Climate change poses substantial new challenges for water and sanitation services. Increasing threats of floods, droughts, higher temperatures, wildfires, storm surges and loss of glaciers risk damage to infrastructure and services, interrupting access to water and sanitation, and deteriorating water quality – altogether increasing the risk to human health. Building the resilience of water and sanitation services is therefore critical. 

The most recent reporting cycle by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscores the critical relationship between climate change adaptation and mitigation and the provision of basic services such as water supply and sanitation. Interventions require sustainable management of water resources and safe management of water and sanitation infrastructures and services in order to ensure protection of public health and the environment.

The event aims at exploring options for cross-sectoral action to increase climate resilience of water and sanitation services and address the growing climate threats affecting environment, water resources and human health. The event will also showcase the intergovernmental framework of the UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health as a knowledge and expert platform bringing together climate, water and health sectors, as well as a set of tools that facilitate increasing the resilience, including climate-sensitive target setting and risk-based management approaches. The key messages of a recent strategic paper developed under the Protocol “Strengthening climate resilience in the drinking water and sanitation sector through the Protocol on Water and Health” will be presented.

Objectives:

• Take stock of main climate threats and risks affecting water and sanitation services, both in terms of impacts on human health and the environment.
• Focus on action options for different stakeholders sharing responsibility in water and sanitation service provision to address the above challenges.
• Discuss the role that the Protocol on Water and Health can play in building climate resilience of water and sanitation sectors.

Moderator:

Elena López Gunn. Founder & Director. iCatalist.

Ana Barreira. Director. International Institute for Law and the Environment (IIDMA).

Speakers:

• Dmitry Mariyasin. Deputy Executive Secretary. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
• Oliver Schmoll. Water and Climate Programme Manager. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health.
• Héctor Tejero. Responsible for Health and Climate Change. Ministry of Health. Spain.
• Andrea Connell. Deputy Director International Affairs. Ministry of Health. The Netherlands.
• Emídio Sousa. Secretary of State for Environment. Ministry of Environment and Climate Action. Portugal.