BeWater European Policy Event

Implementing COP22 agreements: river basin adaptation planning through stakeholder engagement

9 February 2017 - Brussels, Belgium

Overview
The Mediterranean shows high vulnerability with regards to climate change impacts in the water sector, necessitating immediate adaptation action based on proper planning and inclusive decisionmaking processes. The participation of relevant stakeholders is key to reaching more flexible and adaptive decisions, as well as broadly accepted policy measures.

The link between participation and climate change adaptation is not yet exhaustively exploited, particularly with regards to river basin management. The policy event responds to this gap by showcasing the outcomes of participatory European research projects, and supporting the advancement of methodologies for assessing stakeholder interests, demands and concerns within the field of adaptive water resources management. It will demonstrate the critical value of stakeholder engagement and articulate politically relevant recommendations to inform ongoing work in the aftermath of the COP 21 and 22.

Programme
The programme includes targeted presentations and two panel discussions, with a focus on approaches for engaging society in water management and particularly adaptation-related processes, as well as the potential of participation and associated challenges and limitations. Experiences from several EU-funded research projects -amongst them the BeWater project – will guide discussions, helping to answer the question: What is the potential of engaging participatory processes to impact (EU) policy making processes and support the implementation of e.g. COP22 decisions?

In addition to esteemed members of the BeWater team from each of the four case study river basins, panel speakers include:
• Ms. Anabel Sánchez (Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), BeWater Project coordinator
• Dr. Uta Wehn (Associate Professor UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water), expert on citizen science and innovation in the water sector
• Prof. Muki Haklay (Co-director of Extreme Citizen Science), expert in participatory mapping methods and citizen science
• Mr. Bjørn Bedsted (Deputy Director of the Danish Board of Technology), expert in public engagement within the field of climate change adaptation

Detailed agenda:

8:30 – 9:00	Registration
9:00 – 9:10	Welcome and setting the scene
9:10 – 9:30	Introducing BeWater: Making society an active participant in water adaptation to global change
9:30 – 10:15	Involving stakeholders in political decision-making processes: Lessons learned from Mediterranean river basins
10:15 – 10:45	Coffee break
10:45 – 12:15	Encouraging increased participation in resource management and adaptation: Policy recommendations from EU research projects
12:15 – 12:30	Wrap up and closing
12:30 – 13:30	Lunch

The event language will be English.

Download the 2nd announcement in PDF

Download the 1st announcement in PDF