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WATER RELATED DISASTERS AND TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION

• 29.12.2018
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WORDS INTO ACTION GUIDELINES IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE FOR ADDRESSING WATER RELATED DISASTERS AND TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION Foreword Over the past twenty years, there has been a sustained rise and frequency in the number of climate-related disasters such as floods and droughts. A large part of disaster risk is directly or indirectly linked to water. It is estimated that the global average annual loss from disasters will increase from an annual average of US$ 260 billion in 2015 to US$ 414 billion by 2030. This puts at risk economic growth, poverty reduction, peace, and more generally, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Adopted by the United Nations Member States in 2015, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 was conceived to reduce and to prevent disaster risk and losses related to lives and livelihoods, economic losses and damage to infrastructure. This is achieved by greater understanding of disaster risk, by strengthening resilience of people and communities with focus on those most at risk, and by decisive action by all of society to ensure risk informed development, planning and investments. The United Nations Oce for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) is the focal point of the United Nations system for disaster risk reduction and the custodian of the Sendai Framework, supporting countries and societies in its implementation, monitoring and review of progress. Disasters do not respect borders. International basins represent nearly half of the Earth’s land surface and are home to 40 per cent of the world’s population. Thus, risks and challenges associated with their management are frequently shared by neighbouring countries. Transboundary cooperation is often key to successfully reducing disaster risk and water-related hazards, highlighting the need for strong collaboration across borders. The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) serviced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) requires countries to cooperate in managing transboundary waters and addressing disasters, and it supports them through the development of guidance, exchange of experiences and projects on the ground. This Words into Action guide intends to strengthen the capacity of Member States to implement the Sendai Framework and the Water Convention by oering a road map with concrete examples to help address waterrelated disasters, especially in situations where the transboundary context adds to the complexity of risk reduction. It speciacally targets the water, disaster risk reduction and climate change communities and aims to bring them together so that they may jointly design eective and comprehensive disaster reduction measures. While transboundary cooperation and sectoral cooperation may further complicate the implementation of disaster risk reduction measures, it also oers unique possibilities to enhance the eciency and eectiveness of plans and programmes by advancing synergies arising from cooperation and resulting in more robust risk reduction activities. We hope this guide will provide readers, governments and other actors with useful advice to enhance transboundary cooperation in light of the increasing pressures on water resources and the adverse eects of climate change. Olga Algayerova Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Mami Mizutori Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Key messages Water is central to a vast array of sectors that directly depend on the availability of high quality water resources. Consequently, water management can limit or enhance the risk of disaster in these water-related sectors. The impacts of climate change on water are expected to have cascading eects on human health and well-being, as well as many sectors of the economy, which would invariably lead to increased disaster risks. Transboundary cooperation is both necessary and beneficial throughout the entire process of developing and implementing a joint strategy of disaster risk management. International basins make up about half of the Earth’s land surface, and the fact that many water bodies straddle boundaries means that risks and challenges are shared such that solutions need to be coordinated. Moreover, the coordination of water management can unlock benefits that cannot be achieved through unilateral development. With this in mind, the Sendai Framework stresses the importance of transboundary cooperation. An integrated approach towards water management, as laid down in the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) that entails a comprehensive, coordinated and systematic process of planning, control, organization, leadership and management within a basin is imperative for reducing disaster risks and for developing and implementing a disaster risk management strategy. General activities under IWRM of special importance in transboundary basins include: i) maintaining a water balance for the entire basin; ii) good communication between riparian countries; iii) jointly defining issues and arriving at a common understanding of interests among all riparian countries; iv) sharing hydro-meteorological data across borders, as well as a joint legal and institutional framework for cooperation, pilot projects and regional and sub-regional workshops on transboundary water management; and v) capacity-building and training at both the technical and decision-making levels, and on early warning. Joint bodies and/or regional organizations are important mechanisms for the coordination of planning and the implementation of disaster risk reduction measures. Such mechanisms should be founded in international and bi- or multilateral agreements. Disaster risk management measures need to be flexible. This is required by the uncertainties that exist as regards the direction and nature of the changes in hydrological systems caused by climate change. The interventions chosen should be flexible enough to deliver maximum benefits under a range of conditions instead of being designed for the ‘most likely’ future conditions. In this way, should conditions change or prove dierent from those expected today, the measures taken should be capable of responding to this change. Ensuring that data and information are readily available is crucial for climate projections and for identifying vulnerable groups and regions and disaster risks. Sharing information, including from early warning systems between countries and sectors, is therefore essential for the eective and ecient management of disaster risk. Moreover, early warning systems are important measures in mitigating the impacts of extreme events. Uncertainty should never be a reason for inaction. Although what we know about climate change is qualified by a level of uncertainty, we can still identify trends that allow us to act. A twin-track approach, combining immediate action and further research, is therefore recommended. Water management and water-related policies and measures need to be adapted to climate change now on the basis of what we know already. Nevertheless, more needs to be done in terms of research into the impacts of climate change so as to further our knowledge. Disaster risk management requires coordination across all governance levels from local to international. Where the number of governance levels are higher, as in federal states, the need for coordination over administrative borders only increases. Efective disaster risk management requires a cross-sectoral approach that includes the transboundary level in order to prevent possible conflicts between the dierent sectors, and to consider trade-os and synergies between the various measures. Uncoordinated sectoral responses can be ineective or even counterproductive becausea response in one sector can increase the vulnerability of another sector and/or reduce the eectiveness of their disaster risk responses. It is increasingly acknowledged that degrading ecosystems such as wetlands further complicate the context of disaster risk. Degraded systems are often a contributing factor to the development of hazards while at the same time people derive less goods and services from such systems, reducing their overall resilience. Such ecological eects can ripple through water related systems and may even cross borders. Hence, the implementation of the Sendai Framework within a transboundary context should include ecosystem management and restoration, and the use of ecosystems as green infrastructure to mitigate the impacts of disaster risk. Riparian countries should focus on generating basin-wide benefits and on sharing those benefits in a fair and agreed manner. Focusing on sharing the benefits derived from the use of water, rather than the allocation of water itself, would provide far greater scope in identifying mutually beneficial and cooperative actions, and thus serve as a good basis for developing and implementing a disaster risk management strategy. The implementation of national legislation and international commitments can support disaster risk management. A number of international agreements include provisions and tools that can support the development of disaster risk strategies. Countries should take this into account and build on such provisions to maximize results while ensuring the coherence of their adopted policies and measures. to read full report please click on WATER RELATED DISASTERS AND TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION