Side event details

Freshwater wetlands such as rivers and lakes are among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth, yet vital for climate resilience,biodiversity conservation,and sustainable livelihoods.The world needs to scale up efforts to halt and reverse their decline.This side event, co-hosted by France, Gabon, Chile (TBC),and Monaco (TBC), will showcase global and regional leadership and national commitments and action to restore and protect freshwater ecosystems,including through the Freshwater Challenge.It will discuss the importance of draft resolution 23.15 on freshwater ecosystem restoration,which aligns with the UN 2023 Water Conference and Water Action Agenda and acknowledges the need to prioritise freshwater wetland restoration and conservation to stabilise the hydrological cycle.It will explore how state and non-state actors can accelerate action on freshwater ecosystems to implement the Convention on Wetlands, focusing on mobilising finance and improving policy effectiveness and synergies across Conventions.
PROPOSED PARTICIPANTS & PARTNERS
High-Level Representative(s):Convention on Wetlands Secretary General (tbc)
Government Officials:representatives from Gabon, Chile (tbc), France, Mexico(tbc), Liberia
IOPs:IUCN,WI,WWF
NGOs:TNC,CI
Other organisations:UNCCD,UNEP
OBJECTIVES
This side-event objectives include discussing how adopting and implementing the draft resolution will boost efforts to scale up freshwater ecosystem restoration and protection and highlight how France, Gabon, and Chile (tbc) are leading global, national and regional efforts to protect and restore vital freshwater ecosystems, as members of the Freshwater Challenge; and highlight how the Freshwater Challenge as a country-led multi-stakeholder initiative can support the implementation of the Convention on Wetlands and improve synergies with other Conventions and global goals.It also aims to strengthen collaboration between countries, international, national, regional and local organisations, Indigenous People and local communities to drive freshwater wetland restoration and protection efforts and unlock finance; showcase science and policy guidance and tools for national target setting and implementation, monitoring and tracking protection and restoration efforts; and identify how synergies between MEAs can be leveraged, including through the Convention on Wetlands and its links to advancing the GBF, the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement goals and targets.
RUNNING ORDER
Moderator:representative of IUCN or WI
1. Opening Remarks (5 min):High-level representative (tbc), Convention on Wetlands Secretariat
2. Keynote Address (5min):country representative (tbc)-the DR and how the FWC has been supporting the implementation of the MEAs,including the Convention on Wetlands
3. Country case studies and panel discussion (30 min):Countries showcase actions on national commitments and global/regional leadership on freshwater ecosystems restoration and protection - Gabon; France; Monaco (tbc); Chile (tbc)
Panel discussion:Regional collaboration across LAC, Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean;Role of Freshwater Challenge in supporting the implementation of the Convention on Wetlands;Implementation through GEF Freshwater Challenge MSP in 4 pilot countries;Guidance, tools and approaches to implementation and monitoring progress
4. Q&A and audience engagement (15 min)
5. Closing remarks & call to action (5 min):Next steps for implementation and global collaboration