World Water Day, observed annually on 22 March, celebrates water and calls for action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of the day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: ensuring water and sanitation for all by 2030. This blog emphasizes water’s central role as a connector, enabling progress across the three Rio Conventions: climate change, biodiversity, and desertification.
Recent studies indicate that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water stress conditions[1]. Water management has emerged as one of the most critical challenges of the 21st century, intersecting with climate change, food security, and sustainable development. The complexity of water management has intensified with climate change impacts, where global temperature increases have altered precipitation patterns and hydrological cycles[2]. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlighted that water-related disasters have increased by 134% since 2000, causing annual economic losses exceeding $200 billion. These statistics highlight the urgent need for effective, integrated water management strategies.
The management of water resources is intrinsically linked to challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and desertification. However, global efforts to address these issues remain fragmented, carried out through the separate frameworks of the three Rio Conventions. Each convention approaches water management from distinct perspectives—land degradation, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation. The interconnected nature of these issues points to the critical need for a more coordinated strategy. Strengthened policy alignment, shared financing, and unified frameworks provide an opportunity to harmonize water management across these conventions. Such an approach can significantly enhance water security, mitigate climate risks, and support sustainable development. Integrating these efforts is essential to addressing the escalating global water crisis.
The figure below explains how water connects the efforts of the three Rio Conventions. It uses expert insights, policy analysis, and funding flow analysis to show this linkage. This figure highlights how water plays a key role in uniting their goals. Whether it’s protecting ecosystems, managing forests, or adapting to climate change, water is the thread that ties these strategies together, making collaboration essential.
Figure: Synergy among Rio Conventions and role of water connections
For example, Integrated Watershed Management promotes sustainable water use while preserving ecosystems, lowering flood risks, and addressing land degradation. Blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangroves and seagrasses, enhance water quality, store carbon, and support biodiversity. Climate-Smart Agriculture improves water efficiency while enhancing soil health and biodiversity. Similarly, water resilience measures in urban settings address climate challenges, preserve resources, and promote biodiversity through green infrastructure. In summary, water connects the efforts of the three conventions, ensuring that actions in one area (e.g., biodiversity) complement and strengthen outcomes in others (e.g., climate adaptation and land restoration). It emphasizes the need for integrated, cross-sectoral approaches to tackle global environmental challenges effectively.
To tackle these challenges, it is crucial for governments, international organizations, and the private sector to focus on forming partnerships, fostering coherent policies, and ensuring sustainable and blended financing. Unified governance frameworks, innovative management technologies, and transboundary cooperation are among the key recommendations to drive change. By aligning national priorities with international strategies and investing in water-focused projects, countries can collectively address water crises while supporting biodiversity restoration, climate resilience, and sustainable land use.
Innovation and cross-sector collaboration are essential to success. Innovative science-based solutions combined with indigenous knowledge, supported by effective monitoring systems and climate-resilient infrastructure, can overcome data and resource limitations. Strengthening partnerships and implementing equitable water governance will ensure long-term, sustainable solutions for future generations. Water, as a vital connector, must be prioritized in global strategies to foster peace, prosperity, and sustainability. The 2026 Water Convention presents an important platform to advance these integrated approaches and fortify water’s essential role in addressing global challenges.
Water plays a unique role in connecting the objectives of the Rio Conventions. With increasing pressures on water resources due to climate change and human activities, the need for coordinated and integrated efforts has never been more pressing. A unified, coordinated approach that values water can address these shared challenges, ensuring it continues to support both people and the planet.
To achieve this, countries and organizations must harmonize policies, prioritize investments in water infrastructure, and foster partnerships that engage governments, the private sector, and local communities. Combining innovative financing and advanced technologies with indigenous knowledge can pave the way for innovative and effective solutions. Platforms like World Water Day provide an opportune moment to reimagine global water management, close financing gaps with sustainable approaches and paradigm shifts, enhance transboundary cooperation, and secure a resilient future where water remains a pillar of sustainable development and shared prosperity.
The author would like to thank William Wallock, Climate Policy Initiative, Anjali Lohani, Valentin Aich, and Colin Herron from Global Water Partnership, Inga Jacobs-Mata from The International Water Management Institute, Jinjoo Kim from World Vision, and Léa Nacache and Carmen Kent from ISC for their review and comments on the main documents currently under preparation.
Currently serving as Water Sector Lead at the Green Climate Fund, Dr. Fakhruddin leads climate investments for water security and early warning systems globally.
[1] World Resources Institute [WRI], 2023
[2] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2024). WMO (2021)
Photo by David Becker on Unsplash
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