At IWMI, a powerhouse team of women researchers is working tirelessly to prepare for the upcoming climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. Transitioning from research to policy and implementation, especially at the international level, is complex; however, IWMI is helping bridge this gap for the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP). The water agenda has gained momentum in recent COPs, and COP29 will provide a critical opportunity to showcase successful work and develop actionable plans that ensure climate funding is directed wisely towards building water resilience and adapting effectively to an evolving water landscape. Governments are increasingly turning to our experts for their insights and strategies—an endorsement of the strong relationships they’ve built through extensive communication and groundwork. While these efforts often go unseen, they are essential for achieving success at COP29. Here’s how our team of women is making it happen.
Advancing national climate commitments
Countries must submit updated climate action plans initiated under the Paris Agreement, otherwise known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), by 2025, following the Agreement’s five-year review cycle. Renegotiating NDC3.0 before and during COP allows governments the time to adjust their commitments by working with partners to navigate restraints, such as limited technical expertise, insufficient funding and sectoral knowledge gaps that challenge integration of water into climate action plans. IWMI has stepped in to help countries understand what needs to get done and how to do it. IWMI has provided the Water Resilience Tracker, which clarifies water’s role in critical areas such as agriculture, energy and health. And as a member of the NDC Partnership, which is a global coalition of 130+ countries and 100 institutions, IWMI also delivers tailored capacity building, technical training and disaster risk reduction in response to the 5,000+ country support requests received by the Partnership.
While Sri Lanka only joined the NDC Partnership earlier this year, Nishadi Eriyagama has been working with the government for some time, playing a consistent role in shaping the country’s NDC plan throughout the long process. For Sri Lanka, “a key part of this process involves focusing on the advancement of adaptation strategies,” explains Eriyagama, “and the government recognizes the growing importance of effective water resource management.” This focus has become even more critical as floods and landslides increasingly impact the country. To address these challenges, the Sri Lankan government has set 10 ambitious water sector NDC targets including in four key areas: river basin management, groundwater management, wastewater reuse and nature-based solutions. Eriyagama supported the government in an advisory capacity in shaping these NDCs as a member of the National Expert Committee on Climate Change Adaptation.
Manohara Khadka, Nepal’s Country Representative, has also played a crucial role in helping her government set new targets, advocating for a greater inclusion of water issues, which have been underrepresented in Nepal’s previous NDCs. Khadka represents IWMI in two distinct technical teams involved in the preparation for NDC3.0. The first, led by the Ministry of Forests and Environment, oversees NDC3.0’s framework, where IWMI is leading the incorporation of a chapter on Adaptation. The second initiative, led by the Ministry of Energy, Water and Irrigation, focuses on integrating water targets into NDC3.0, with IWMI providing technical expertise to assess progress, identify gaps and define strategies to achieve these targets. “My role is to transform scientific and technical insights into actionable guidance for policymakers, highlighting the critical need for inclusivity, especially gender and social inclusion, as we define the future of water policy,” says Khadka. These inclusive efforts strengthen water and climate resilience, ultimately benefiting Nepalese communities.
Strategic engagement at COP29 events
Events at COP provide a platform for showcasing progress on initiatives and commitments, celebrating new or strengthened partnerships and engaging in high-level, nuanced discussions. IWMI is a steering committee member of the Water for Climate Pavilion, which is the driving force behind positioning effective water management within climate talks at COP. Hallmark events this year in the Pavilion will include Financing Climate Resilient Water Infrastructure, Multi-level Governance for Urban Water Resilience and Regional reflections: Watering the NDCs and NAPs.
Barbara Janusz-Pawletta, who joined IWMI in August and is the Country Representative for Uzbekistan and the Head of the Regional Representative Office for Central Asia, is working with the State Water Agency on COP29 events. This includes a panel discussion featuring IWMI Director General Mark Smith to mark the start of formal cooperation between IWMI and Azerbaijan. To conclude the panel, a memorandum of understanding will be signed with the Water and Amelioration Scientific Research Institute under the Azerbaijani State Water Agency. This partnership aims to enhance information exchange and capacity building in Azerbaijan, with a focus on integrated water resource management for water supply, sanitation, hydraulic structures and irrigation among other key areas of need for the country. These engagements are part of a broader vision to expand IWMI’s presence in the region. “I aim to foster connections between Central Asia and the Caucasus, recognizing the collaborative potential due to their shared history,” remarks Janusz-Pawletta.
Maha Al-Zu’bi is a regional researcher who works with governments in the MENA region, including Jordan and Morocco, on a range of COP events. Alongside the IWMI team, Al-Zu’bi is leading the session “Innovative Water Management for Climate Adaptation: Recharge and Reuse Policies in Fragile Contexts.” The session will highlight the importance of water management in building climate resilience, showcasing IWMI’s water reuse and recharge advancements in Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Sahara and Sahel regions—areas severely impacted by water scarcity and climate change. Al-Zu’bi’s work highlights the need for policy-driven approaches that combine scientific evidence with local knowledge to implement effective water management strategies. Al-Zu’bi will also represent IWMI as a speaker at the session “Responding to Displacement-Related Loss and Damage through Inclusive Data, Finance, and Action.” The focus will be on using science and evidence to guide policy and investment, emphasizing research on refugees and host communities. The presentation will also spotlight IWMI’s flagship Jahez project, funded by FCDO, which builds climate resilience in Jordan’s refugee-hosting communities—a response to the King of Jordan’s call to address climate change and refugee challenges. “My goal of the conference is to strengthen Jordan’s adaptation strategies and improve resilience for vulnerable communities and ecosystems,” Al-Zu’bi emphasizes.
Empowering negotiators for climate action
An important aspect of the annual COP conference is negotiating climate outcomes, and IWMI’s priority is to ensure water is integrated into climate policy. This year, Chiara Christina Colombo, IWMI’s global Policy & Engagement Advisor, and other policy-focused IWMI researchers are aligning their negotiation strategies with the conference’s major themes to demonstrate their expertise and build countries’ confidence in IWMI’s ability to support them. A key expected outcome of negotiations this year will be the agreement of a New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), as climate finance takes center stage at this year’s conference. IWMI delegates are also following the exchanges on the global targets to measure a Global Goal on Adaptation to make the goal established during the 2015 Paris Agreement both achievable and measurable.
Colombo explains, “we play a critical role in a virtual cycle, supporting governments to define their global priorities and then working together to translate those goals into actionable plans.” In this process, IWMI provides scientific support, assisting governments to navigate complex climate reporting documents, ensuring that the negotiation processes fully recognize the essential role of water and supporting the setting and implementation of their goals. For example, IWMI researchers in Ghana collaborated with the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change to engage negotiators and government officials from the agriculture, water and energy sectors. They provided research-backed insights to compile essential water indicators and support the development of a comprehensive water narrative for Africa. Practical applications, like mapping gender and climate vulnerability hotspots in Ghana, are now underway.
Efforts are made across the board by IWMI researchers to ensure that the latest advancements in water management and climate resilience are reflected in national strategies, empowering governments to make informed choices throughout the negotiations and beyond. Although partnerships are often highlighted at COP, the real work happens throughout the year as countries implement the terms and policies negotiated at the conference. COP serves as a celebration of past achievements, a showcase of current progress and a springboard for future collaboration—one in which IWMI women researchers are deeply involved at every stage.