CEDAR- Led Event at COP28: Advancing Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience and Water Security
The Centre of Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) jointly organized a side event along with the League of Arab States (LAS), the Arab Water Council (AWC), and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The event occurred on the water day during COP28 in Dubai on the 10th of December, 2023. Dr. Amr Abdelmegeed, Regional Director of the Environment Governance Programme at CEDARE, participated as a guest speaker and panellist during the event, where CEDARE and IWMI Collaboratively presented a case study for Nature-based Solutions (NBS) for climate resilience and water security.
The discussion highlighted the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in managing water resources and protecting and restoring ecosystems. Reflecting on Al-Murunah project as an example of addressing the environmental challenges associated with water-related risks and climate change vulnerability nationally and regionally. The project tackles enhancing water availability using NBS, while Agriculture Water Management (AWM) reduces water demand. In combination, the two enhance water security and the resilience of communities. Moreover, it explicitly illustrated the vital role of women and youth engagement in tailoring the NBS intervention scenarios as emerging leaders for NBS advocacy. During the panel, Dr. Vidhisha Samarasekara, Strategic Program Director at IWMI, emphasized that a clear, standard definition of NBS should be identified as sustainable and upscaled nationally and regionally. Additionally, Dr. Amr focused on the significant role of the participatory approach in community development awareness to catalyze the sense of ownership and engagement among the target groups, ensuring the sustainability of the NBS actions. Several organizations’ representatives from ICARDA, CIHEAM, and UN Women also joined the panel discussion.
