Download Water as a Cross Cutting Issue At CSD 17

Water as a Cross-Cutting Issue for CSD17
Recognizing that the thematic issues under discussion at CSD have significant impacts on water quantity and
quality.
Acknowledging that ecosystem protection requires guaranteed minimum environmental flows to meet the needs
of human populations for water of sufficient quality and quantity.
Recognizing that the impacts of climate change on water as it relates to agriculture, rural development, land,
drought and desertification will require a fundamental re-thinking of water governance arrangements.
Acknowledging that the right to water should be paired with the responsibility to protect ecosystems, preserve
water quality and secure equitable quantities of water for social and environmental needs.
Welcoming the decision to host a Ministerial Roundtable on Integrated Land and Water Resources Management
for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Recognizing that water is not the core subject of negotiation for any functioning international or
intergovernmental process, convention or treaty. As such, the Commission on Sustainable Development
provides a natural home for discussion of the social, environmental and economic aspects of water.
We1 call on CSD delegates to:
In the area of Agriculture:
(a) Adopt an ecosystem-based approach to agricultural management, developing systems of water rights
that allow for prior allocation of water to guarantee minimum requirements of environmental flows,
building ecosystem resilience for sustainable agriculture and livelihoods. Prioritise the requirements of
environmental flows and basic social needs ahead of economic requirements, recognizing this as a
critical response measure to climate change impacts.
(b) Recognize and endorse the findings of the IAASTD2 report and its recommendations and findings in
relation to sustainable agricultural management.
(c) Call on the Food and Agriculture Organisation to assess the relative environmental and social impacts of
different agricultural practices, including small and large-scale practices, organic and non-organic,
industrial and non-industrial, thereby identifying the methods conducive to the most efficient use of
water.
(d) Evaluate the goods and services provided to agriculture by ecosystems, including freshwater, and
introduce mechanisms for reflecting their true value in agricultural management plans.
(e) Utilise water footprint analyses to determine the suitability of crops in certain regions and locations.
Land
(a) Develop integrated land and water resources management plans and institutions for implementation at
the river basin and watershed level, involving residents and other stakeholders in decision-making
processes. Encourage the strengthening of water and land management institutions where they exist to
deal with competing demands for and increased pressure on water resources, which stand to be
exacerbated by climate change.
1
Members of the CSD Freshwater Caucus and the Global Public Policy Network on Water Management, including a range of nongovernmental actors, major groups and stakeholders
2
International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, Synthesis Report.
(b) Develop water management arrangements that guarantee minimum environmental flows for
ecosystems, recognizing land as a water user in its own right.
(c) Assess the value of ecosystem services provided by land and develop policies, schemes and incentives
that promote and enable sustainable water management to preserve land quality, including rainwater
harvesting programmes and Payment for Ecosystem Services arrangements where appropriate.
Rural Development
(a) Ensure access to water for human and ecosystem needs in rural areas on a fair and equitable basis.
(b) Ensure that ODA for rural development is granted in a manner that encourages water-use efficiency,
sustainable management of water resources and protection of ecosystems that build climate resilience.
(c) Ensure that domestic subsidies do not promote inefficient or unsustainable water use and provide
incentives for protection of ecosystems and integrated approaches to land and water management.
(d) Build capacity for effective and transparent governance arrangements in rural communities that enable
the integrated management of land and water resources.
(e) Address the potential for dry sanitation solutions for water-stressed and water-scarce rural areas to
reduce pressure on available water resources.
Drought
(a) Adopt a precautionary approach to conserving water and preparing for periods of greater water scarcity
that stand to increase in range and severity under climate change, while investing in better monitoring,
information, observation and forecasting systems that assist in developing appropriate response
measures.
(b) Integrate drought preparedness and management plans into frameworks for integrated water resources
and land management
(c) Recognize and address the potential impact of projected increases of drought on transboundary
watersheds, building capacity to develop fair and equitable transboundary water management
arrangements, recognizing the role of the UN Watercourses Convention in this regard.
Desertification
(a) Promote land reform that enhances incentives for investment in sustainable water and land management
practices through land tenure arrangements that provide security and ownership.
(b) Integrate traditional knowledge of communities and indigenous peoples into sustainable land and water
management policies and frameworks.
(c) Promote economic diversification and support alternative livelihood options through education and
training so that dry-land poor communities can create work that reduces the pressure on land and water
resources that leads to desertification.
(d) Provide additional funding and support to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the most
underfunded of the Rio Conventions.
(e) Support the development of an international Water Scarcity Policy Framework, as proposed by the
UNCCD, as a tool for countries to respond to and manage water scarcity, building synergies with the
UNFCCC as a key response measure to climate change.