Astrid Hillers GEF – International Waters

Sr. Environment Specialist - Program Manager UNECE, Geneva, April 2014

GEF International Waters: Supporting Transboundary Cooperation

Rockstrom and Planetary Boundaries

Transboundary Water Systems of the Earth

Data sources: IGRAC 2012 for aquifers, Transboundary Waters Assessment Program Lakes Group, Natural earth data for rivers, NOAA for large marine ecosystems

Transboundary cooperation …. … essential in face of global risks

… Some transboundary impacts of climate change, such as changes in sea ice, shared water resources, and pelagic fish stocks, have the potential to increase rivalry among states, but robust national and intergovernmental institutions can enhance cooperation and manage many of these rivalries.”

International Waters Focal Area

33 transboundary river basins

GEF – largest financier of international waters:

Goal: to promote collective management for transboundary water systems and foster policy, legal, and institutional reforms and investments towards sustainable use and maintenance of ecosystem services.

Focus: joint management of shared water systems to balance competing uses and enabling sharing of benefits from their utilization.

Key approaches/tools …

10 transboundary lakes 7 transboundary groundwater systems

21 of the Earth’s 64 large marine ecosystems

Approximately $1.3 billion / $7.3 billion in co-financing

Working with more than 150 nations

Sharing benefits beyond water .…

www.thegef.org

Cost Benefit

Countries most likely to make a deal

Opportunity

Risk

Ashok Subramanian et al. 2012, Reaching Across the Waters – Facing the Risk of Cooperation in International Waters

Risks and Opportunities to Cooperation

Delivering GEF International Waters Global Environment Benefits

Foundational Capacity Building/Enabling

environments, Basic Policy and cooperation framework

Strengthening policy and legal and institutional frameworks

Full-scale SAP Implementation

GEF IW investments through series of interventions

Legal/institutional frameworks - critical for cooperative management and future investments

Example: Benguela Current (Angola, Namibia, South Africa): - A decade of GEF support fostered the establishment of the Benguela Current Commission - the world’s first LME Commission

Integrated approaches across sectors, states, and water bodies

Example: The Danube - Black Sea Basin: Strategic Partnership for Nutrient Pollution Reduction: support to the GPA ($100 m GEF)

UNDP; UNEP, World Bank; EU 16 basin countries 3 Regional projects $70 million Investment Fund

(WB) approved by GEF Council in 3 tranches-$330 m co-fin.

Program approach – not just projects with multiple

partners

GEF Nile Basin Transboundary Environmental Action Project Nile Basin Initiative - 11 nations and many development partners promote transboundary peace, security, & stability, toward sustainable development and MDGs

Example: Sustainable Groundwater Use - The Guarani Aquifer Project: Without preventative measures, uncontrolled pollution in its extraction and recharge areas could threaten the Guarani aquifer, (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) which contains sufficient water to supply 360 million people on a sustainable basis.

Reactive vs. proactive Example: Groundwater Governance

Ecosystems - … planning ahead Example: The Cubango-Okavango River Basin has a hydrologically active area of 323,192 square kilometres and is approximately 1,000 km in length; Building on the previous project, the approved GEF project (GEF grant: $6.1 mil/co-finance $60.7 mil; UNDP) will support OKACOM and the member states to implement key activities prioritized in the signed SAP. o Basin-wide enhanced institution, planning and

decision support tools, financial sustainability -– incl. piloting tb PES

o Integrated water resources planning and implementation capacity

o On-the-ground interventions to pilot environmentally conscious socio-economic development initiatives.

Climate variability and change – … no longer is the past a predictor of the future

Example: Amazon Project ..to strengthen, in a coordinated and coherent manner, the institutional framework for planning and executing activities for the protection and sustainable management of the water resources of the Amazon River Basin, endeavoring to realize a shared vision of sustainable development in the region based upon the protection and integrated management of transboundary water resources and adaptation to climatic changes.

Innovation - Invest in new technologies & approaches

Example: Hai River Basin project - Changing agricultural practices lead to reduction in water usage and increased income by combining remote sensing satellite technology and a new water allocation system. Impact: o Livelihoods and environment improved o Up to 5 fold increase in farm income o 40 % reduction in water use (266 million m3

of water saved) o Pollution load to the Bohai Sea reduced by

4665 tons/year for ammonia-nitrogen

Global connectivity …working along supply chains

Example: Global Sustainable Supply Chain for Marine Commodities. o Align interest of: markets, supply

chain, regulators, producers (fishermen) and other stakeholders to improve long-term sustainability of source fisheries.

o Develop, implement and share replicable strategies to achieve fisheries sustainability goals, including certification.

• Water is key to development – balance water needs across sectors and borders; enhanced integration among GEF FA.

• Cooperation across borders takes time – GEF 6 continue to support a series of interventions not ‘one off’ projects.

• Climate change - no longer is the past a predictor for the future

• Cooperation needs investments & investments need cooperation

• OUT OF THE WATER BOX - Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystem- … Nexus

Lessons and GEF Strategic approaches…

• Advancing conjunctive management in tb basins/basin organisations & on national level and strengthening groundwater governance

• Private Sector and Supply Chains – seek greater synergies • Civil Society – public participation; awareness & outreach • Innovation – institutional, finance, and technology… • Bridge science-policy gap – scientists & technicians to produce

information in a form accessible & relevant to decision makers – From perceptions to facts; Advance economic evaluation

• KM and Learning and Targeted Research – disseminate what worked and what did not; research - stay ahead of curve

Lessons and GEF Strategic approaches…

Water for future generations…

Investing In Our Planet www.thegef.org

GEF International Waters