Posted on December, 04 2024

The Freshwater Challenge celebrated two major milestones at the One Water Summit in Saudi Arabia, securing catalytic funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and reaching 50 members after Kazakhstan and Australia officially joined the world’s largest ever freshwater restoration and protection initiative.

Speaking during the Heads of State Summit in Riyadh hosted by France, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and the World Bank, the GEF CEO, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, announced the US$5 million investment in the Freshwater Challenge, which will accelerate action by addressing some of the most critical needs and challenges identified by the Member countries.

The GEF investment will support:

• Countries and development institutions to monitor Freshwater Challenge objectives;
• Countries to operationalize their Freshwater Challenge objectives from source to sea;
• Country learning to strengthen national Freshwater Challenge objectives; and
• Communications to raise awareness locally, nationally and globally about the central role of healthy freshwater ecosystems in tackling the climate and nature crises and driving sustainable development.

“The GEF is proud to announce an investment of US$5 million in the Freshwater Challenge as this critical country-led initiative will be key to achieving the 30x30 targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework,” said Carlos Manuel Rodriguez. “The GEF contribution will support targeted pilots and promote innovative metrics and communication efforts, including with youth, local communities and Indigenous People, which will contribute to the Challenge’s goals of ensuring 300,000 kilometers of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands are under restoration by 2030.”

Along with the contribution from the GEF International Waters focal area, over US$10 million in co-financing has already been identified from a broad range of actors, including the private sector, NGOs, and member countries. In the coming months, the Freshwater Challenge will seek to increase the amount of co-financing and work with member countries to define project details.

At the One Water Summit, co-host Kazakhstan officially announced its membership of the Freshwater Challenge, following Australia’s earlier decision to join. Including the European Union, the initiative now boasts 50 Members.

During his keynote speech, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, H.E Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said, "Kazakhstan's commitment to ensuring reliable access to clean water and fostering sustainable growth is further demonstrated by Kazakhstan joining the Freshwater Challenge, a critical global initiative. There is a need to advance regional collaboration and international partnerships."

Speaking at the Summit, H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, President of IUCN - one of the 8 global partners supporting the country-led Freshwater Challenge - welcomed the two milestones and the urgent need to accelerate action. “The Freshwater Challenge will continue to bang the drum for freshwater protection and restoration globally, support capacity building and communications, and mobilise resources for member countries to deliver on the commitment they have made to the Freshwater Challenge,” she said.

“But the Challenge is not just about countries. It also includes business and civil society.  Water is a global challenge, but a local problem. We need local communities and civil society organisations to take better care of freshwater ecosystems, and we need them to work collaboratively with governments and business who rely heavily on water to maximise the skills and resources they have to restore freshwater ecosystems,” added Razan Al Mubarak.

Overall, the One Water Summit highlighted the importance of action and collaboration to tackle the world’s worsening water crises, highlighting the critical importance of restoring and protecting healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands.

Attention now turns to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16 in Riyadh. The Freshwater Challenge will continue to be visible and build on the momentum from the One Water Summit, including through several high-level side-events aimed at sharing member country experiences and progress to date, inspiring others to join and act.