Baku COP 29 – Glacier-Fed Rivers: Building Upstream and Downstream Climate Resilience
Glacier-fed rivers play a critical role in water security, providing vital resources for drinking, irrigation, and hydropower. The cryosphere, which includes glaciers, snow, and permafrost, is undergoing significant change due to global warming, leading to shifts in water availability and timing that profoundly affect lowland communities reliant on these river systems. These changes create a cascade of risks, including increased flooding, drought, glacial lake outburst floods, and landslides.
Moreover, many of these rivers are transboundary, making international cooperation and diplomacy crucial for shared resilience to climate extremes. Effective collaboration on technical solutions—such as reservoir management and nature-based infrastructure—is one important element, but inclusive processes, open communication channels and diplomatic efforts can strengthen trust and adaptive capacity across borders and improve the chances of technical solutions to be effective and equitable.
This session will explore the opportunities and challenges for enhancing climate resilience in glacier-fed river basins, aligning with the UNGA’s Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025–2034).
Moderator
- Dr. Laura Turley, Senior Science-Policy Manager, Geneva Water Hub
Discussants
- Mr. Guy Bonvin, Deputy Head of Mission and Regional Cooperation, Swiss Embassy to the Republic of Azerbaijan and to Turkmenistan
- Prof. Geraldine Pflieger, Director of the Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, and scientific member of the Swiss delegation to COP29
- Mr. Tanvir Kabir, Counsellor, Science, Technology & Climate Diplomacy, Embassy of Bangladesh, Germany
- Prof. Kenzo Hiroki, Coordinator, High Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP)
Session plan
- Opening Remarks by Moderator (5 minutes)
- Brief context on the importance of glacier-fed rivers and the cryosphere’s role in water security
Fireside Chat Discussion (40 minutes) covering
- Climate impacts on glacier-fed rivers and downstream water security
- Technical and nature-based solutions to manage risks (e.g. water storage options and operations)
- Exploration of communication, dialogue and diplomacy for trust building at multiple scales
- Equitable and climate resilient water arrangements at nested scales
Audience Q&A (15 minutes)
- Engage participants to gather insights, questions, and perspectives
