Recent Experiences of ESCAP in Promoting Green Growth & Developing stronger Partnership with GWP. Presentation by Salmah Zakaria

GWP Regional Workshop, Climate Change, Food and Water Security

24 - 25 February 2011, Colombo, Sri Lanka

"Recent Experiences of ESCAP in

Promoting Green Growth & Developing

stronger Partnership with GWP"

Salmah Zakaria Energy Security and Water Resources Section

Include works of

Rae Kwon Chung, Ti LeHuu, Ermina Sokou and others from the Environment Development Division

UN ESCAP, Bangkok



3 Messages

Asia Pacific facing water insecurity, through multiple challenges/hotspots

Green Growth required for sustainable development, in a world with global environmental limitation

ESCAP/GWP working together – a strategic relationship for the Asia Pacific region



Outline of presentations

Water Security and Green Growth

Climate Change – manifestation of an unconnected world??

Synergistic Efforts ESCAP/GWP -can help support Asia-Pacific needs



Water Security and Green Growth



Water Challenges in Asia Pacific

Multiple Challenges in water sector Increasing water scarcity threat, High water utilization,

Deteriorating water quality, Poor water quality and low water endowment, Flood-prone countries, Cyclone-prone countries, Drought-prone countries, Ecosystem changes/ Climate change risk, Poor access to drinking water, Poor access to sanitation, etc

Using IWRM concept Scaled down to implementation at local areas

Water security, water insecurity and hotspots, piloting implementation of eco-efficient water infrastructure, community water shed management, etc

Scaled up to a more encompassing platform/concept Green growth



Water Security, Definition & Index

Has been the focus of ESCAP for some time

Should reflect achievements of sustainable socio-economic development

Analyse on the index and standards to be measured



Water Security Definition in UN

Lack of commonly accepted definition of ―water security‖ by the UN General Assembly Difficult to bring water in political agenda

for international cooperation

Minimal problems when forums are not inter-governmental Where decisions or recommendations will not

be legally binding



Water Insecurity Index (WII)

Water Insecurity Index is a measure for the lack of capacity to deliver the expected outcomes from investments and management in water resources for socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable economic development



Water Insecurity Index (WII)

The framework for WII to be based

Capacity (or lack of capacity) to deliver

Water availability and water index

Risk management capacity

Investment capacity

Expected Development outcomes

―Composite outcomes”: household water security, poverty reduction, healthy people, healthy ecosystems, low conflict, economic development



Water Hotspots

To better focus and prioritize regional action

ESCAP identified hotspots of multiple challenges

Hotspots - countries or areas or ecosystems with overlapping challenges of

poor access to water and sanitation, deteriorating water quality, limited water availability and increased exposure to climate change and water-related disasters



Hotspots



Water security and green growth

Ensuring long term water security Must concurrently focus also on

System/Environmental Health ie should be ecological-based

Green Growth look from the position of global environmental limitation The need to migrate from current market based

to ecological based economy



Why Green Growth

Address global limited ecological carrying capacity

Meet unmet basic needs and the MDGs increasingly convergent challenges—food, water and energy

insecurity; persistent economic uncertainty; and climate change impacts.

hard won gains in reducing poverty and improving people’s lives are in danger of being reversed

Without accommodating ecological carrying capacity, the sustainable growth is not feasible

Improving eco-efficient of economy as a whole is a key element for Sustainable Development

RK Chung: ASEAN-ISIS 24th Asia-Pacific Roundtable, 7-9June 2010 Kuala Lumpur



Green Growth Principles

BUSINESS AS USUAL

(Grow first, clean-up later) GREEN GROWTH

Ecological price

Ecological efficiency

Quality of growth Quantity of growth

Economic efficiency

Market price ≠

<




Green Growth Goal

Quality of

Growth

Quantity

of Growth Eco-efficiency

From Market Price to Ecological Price

From Quantity of growth to Quality of Growth




Human Development Index and Domestic

Material Consumption per capita, 1995 and 2005



Green Growth – Sustainable

development

De Boer - National Geographic News,

Published November 26, 2010

the green growth stimulus packages of China and Korea, clearest signal of what is to come



Green Growth Development in Water

Resources Management in ESCAP

ESCAP’s member countries accepted Green Growth as a Policy option at the MCED5, in March 2005 in Seoul ESCAP and its partners developed Regional Capacity

Development Programme for Green Growth Policy Tools http://www.greengrowth.org/index.asp

Endorsement of RIP (Regional Implementation Plan) on green growth at MCED6, in Astana Kazakhstan, 0ct 2010

Green growth road map – currently being developed/researched Including articulating the development of

possible/alternatives migration paths to ecological base economy



Climate Change – manifestation of an

unconnected world??



Significance of Climate change to water systems

Significant change in quantity of flow, will affect Design sizing of infrastructure; culverts, bridges, canals,

dams, etc Existing operations and maintenance: water related systems -

floods, water supply, irrigation etc

Shifting rainfall patterns, between 1-2 weeks Affect planting season; harvesting should not meet floods! Droughts need to be avoided Affect reservoir fillings, draw-downs, operations &

maintenance Other general operations and maintenance of water

infrastructure and systems

Extreme and recurring floods and droughts Health implication Social and economic activities



Climate Change

Became significant with more energy used, deforestation, production of biomass, agro-industrial products, etc Start ?? - Industrial revolution of 18th Century

Mostly in the North

Followed now – lifestyle change, including urbanisation

Everywhere: The South brings with it huge population, while seemingly following similar development foot-paths

Impact from Climate Change affect all particularly the most vulnerable and least resilience

majority of which are in the developing world



Climate Change Negotiations

Focus on

The source for climate Change

Mostly mitigation, reduced use of easily available energy; technology for clean alternative energy – still expensive

The developing countries, with huge population

emulate the developed countries to industrialise and urbanise – emitting more GHGs



Bubbles of GHGs emissions



Failure of Multilateral Negotiations

In both WTO’s Doha and UNFCCC, Fundamental Negotiation/bargaining problem

Participating Nations do not clearly see benefits to their nation from the outcomes

Peter Lloyd, University of Melbourne, - Public Lecture, ESCAP, 23rd Feb2011



Four steps to improve Multilateral

Negotiations

Improved analyses of the benefits and costs of proposals

More preparations on proposals to be considered Apparently, every time, the next negotiation, start from

where it was left previously

Statement of Clear Objectives

New methods of negotiations Currently: complex agenda, attitudes and bottom up

approach ( will depend on national mitigation schemes)

Peter Lloyd, University of Melbourne, - Public Lecture, ESCAP, 23rd Feb2011



ESCAP’s Current Activities

in CC Adaptation

Strengthened awareness and knowledge on Green Growth, water security/insecurity and Eco-efficient approaches Eco-efficiency water infrastructure

Supporting development of appropriate policies and piloting community-based projects in the region, to improve resilience to local communities

Developing Generic Guidelines for CC Adaptation vis-à-vis water

security/insecurity and green growth

Developing roadmap for migration to green growth economy



Synergistic Efforts ESCAP/GWP -can

help support Asia-Pacific needs



Synergistic Working Areas

GWPO regions in Asia-Pacific

4 of 13 GWP Regions are in Asia Pacific South Asia (SA)

Southeast Asia (SEA)

Central Asia – the Caucasus

China

Good Practices to learn from other GWPO regions outside Asia Pacific - Central and South America, Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe



ESCAP/GWP -Localising ideas

ESCAP

Piloting new ideas/concepts in member countries; working with governments, private sectors, NGOs and communities

Working with consultants to research current status and future directives

GWPO

Similar objectives – working with sub-regional outfits, which share many common needs



ESCAP/GWP past histories

ESCAP and GWP

Developed, with FAO – SPM in IWRM

Supported GWPSEA Water forums and dialogues

GWP in ESCAP events

MIR EGM

Other dialogues

Many common Partners



Potential joint working areas

Current IWRM – Monitoring of Investments and Results

Climate Change, Food and Water Security

Potential ??? Working through the water-energy-food nexus initiatives

including MIR

Waste Water Revolution – pollution of water bodies is a major problem in Asia Pacific

Green growth – migrating from market to an ecological-based economy

Rules of Law – rights to

Access to safe water – community pilot projects, impact of CC to access

Rights to climate change adaptation ??



THANK YOU

Technology

Recent Experiences of ESCAP in Promoting Green Growth & Developing stronger Partnership with GWP. Presentation by Salmah Zakaria