The United Nations Development Account Project on Developing the Capacities of the Arab Countries for Climate Change Adaptation by Applying Integrated Water Resources Management Tools project seeks to assist Arab Governments to build their capacity for climate change adaptation by applying integrated water resources management (IWRM) tools. This is sought by: (a) increasing understanding of climate change impacts on water resources and associated vulnerabilities to inform climate change adaptation policy-making; (b) providing a set of regionally appropriate IWRM tools for supporting climate change adaptation in five key sectors (agriculture, economic development, environment, health, and human settlements); and (c) enhancing knowledge of associated best practices in each of the five sectors that may be drawn upon to support the preparation of national and sector based adaptation and development plans. The project is led by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Program Regional Office for West Asia (UNEP/ROWA), and is implemented in partnership with the Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the World Health Organization Centre for Environmental Health Action (WHO/CEHA).
A training manual consisting of five complementary modules is being prepared within the context of the project. Each module focuses on one of the key sectors prepared by the specialized partner organization in that field. This workshop aims to present and test the draft module on Human Settlements that was prepared by ACWUA and ESCWA contributing experts. The training module aims to enhance the capacity of Arab Governments to incorporate IWRM tools into the management of human settlements as a means to adapt to climate change. It does so by proposing assessment tools, methods, policies and measures that can enhance the resilience of human settlements to climate change based on the outputs of the regional climate modelling projections generated under RICCAR. Specific focus is placed on adaptation measures and planning tools related to water supply and sanitation networks and associated infrastructure that can be affected by climate change and extreme weather events, such as floods and landslides. Conventional and non-conventional water management tools that are appropriate for use in water-scarce environments will also be discussed during the workshop.
Amman, Jordan
