IOWater - International News

8 The News N° 29 - February 2019 At the Brasilia Forum, the International Network of Basin Organisations presented two new publications, to be added to the INBO Handbook collection, started in 2009. The first handbook is entitled “Water Information Systems. Administration, Processing and Exploitation of Water-Related Data”. Access to data and information on the status and evolution of the water resource and its uses is a crucial element for any water policy implementation. Unfortunately, the necessary data are often produced and managed by several organi- sations in different sectors, with little coordi- nation among themselves and in many cases the information available for decision making and public information is not fully adapted to the needs. Resulting from a collaboration between INBO and UNESCO, with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, coordinating the World Water Data Initiative (WWDI), and the International Office for Water (IOWater), with the support of the French Agency for Biodiversity (AFB), this document highlights why the manage- ment of water data is so important for the effective management of water resources and presents the main processes to be taken into account when implementing a Water Infor- mation System (WIS). The second is entitled “Participation of Stakeholders and the Civil Society in the Basins of Rivers, Lakes and Aquifers“. The implementation of many decisions nee- ded for water resources management is only possible when there is a strong commitment and if all public and private, collective or indi- vidual stakeholders concerned are mobilised. This document, jointly written by INBO, the Brazilian Network of Basin Organisations (REBOB) and IOWater, with the support of the French Agency for Biodiversity (AFB), highlights why participation is so significant in water resources management. It describes the key elements of the participa- tion in water management and it gives many practical examples from basins around the world which show what can be done to make the participation of stakeholders and the civil society a reality and an added-value in the decision-making process at basin level. These handbooks are available in English on INBO website (“Network publications” section). www.inbo-news.org 4 Two new ”INBO Handbooks” THE HANDBOOK ON WATER INFORMATION SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION,PROCESSINGAND EXPLOITATION OFWATER-RELATEDDATA March 2018 THE HANDBOOK FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF STAKEHOLDERS AND THE CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE BASINS OF RIVERS, LAKES AND AQUIFERS March 2018 The French Water Agencies are committed to fight against the impacts of climate change in the water sector, in France and internation- ally. In 2015, on the occasion of the COP21 held in Paris, these Basin Organisations had signed INBO’s “Paris Pact” to promote and implement the principles and tools needed to adapt to climate change in the basins of rivers, lakes and aquifers. With the 11 th 2019-2024 Action Plan that the Basin Committees and Board of Directors of the Water Agencies adopted at the end of 2018, 3 billion Euros (500 million Euros per year) will be invested for the adaptation to the effects of climate change in France. By 2070, climate experts estimate, among other things, that decreases in French groundwater level and large river flow could reach 30% and 50%, respectively, with a direct impact on water quality: higher concentration of pollutants in aquatic environments. At international level, the French Water Agen- cies have also launched a collective dynamic for climate action with their “20 water and climate projects for Africa” program. This plan meets priority adaptation needs, particularly in the Sahel (among the target countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Togo) and the thematic and geographic prior- ities of the Water Agencies in Africa. It will especially aim at: l Building capacity and knowledge; l Planning for adaptation; l Improving governance; l Establishing sustainable financing mecha- nisms; l Implementing “no-regret” measures such as Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). The plan is an ambitious contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement as well as to the “100 water and climate projects for Africa”. This initiative was launched as part of the Incubation Platform of the Global Alliances for Water and Climate (GAfWaC), by the “One Planet Summits” (OPS) held in Paris (12 December 2017) and New York (26 Sep- tember 2018) at the invitation of the President of the French Republic, the President of the World Bank and the UN Secretary General. It should mobilise financial support amounting to 20 million Euros over a period of 5 years for the incubation of adaptation projects. The next “One Planet Summits” (14 March 2019 in Nairobi, 25-27 August 2019 in Biarritz) will take on a strategic character for the Water Agencies: they will allow for a better political value of this structuring program, especially for major international donors of climate funds. www.lesagencesdeleau.fr 4 Water and Climate The French Water Agencies are committing themselves international events