Metaguidelines for water and climate change: for practitioners in Asia and the Pacific

This document identifies five key principles and corresponding actions to address climate change impacts on water and land resources in the region, focusing on what to do and why it should be done. These are: Usable knowledge; No regret investment; Resilience; Mitigation and adaptation; Financing. It addresses how the recommended actions can be implemented, with a focus on practical solutions illustrated by case studies from Asia and the Pacific.

With a growing body of literature and guidelines on water resources and climate change adaptation, the aim of this publication is to provide some interpretation of this information by linking practical examples to the ‘five principles’ framework. The metaguidelines will be useful to a wide range of practitioners, including those in charge of financial allocation and national planning, project managers, the adaptation–mitigation community, educators, scientists, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. While the guidelines identify examples of good practice, which are shared by experts in the field of water and climate change, the intended audience goes beyond water resources specialists to include practitioners working in other water-dependent sectors such as energy and food.

This document was developed by the Asia–Pacific Water Forum (APWF) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) in collaboration with the Global Water Partnership (GWP). This publication is a continuation of the APWF Framework Document on Water and Climate Change Adaptation, developed for leaders and policy-makers in Asia and the Pacific in 2012.