Momentum is really building behind the Freshwater Challenge with South Africa becoming the 54th Country Member just ahead of the UNFCCC COP30 in Belem, Brazil.

Healthy freshwater wetlands – from rivers and floodplains to lakes and peatlands – are central to climate mitigation and adaptation.

The country-led Freshwater Challenge is the largest freshwater protection and restoration initiative in history with the aim of ensuring 350 million hectares of degraded wetlands and 300,000km of degraded rivers are under restoration by 2030, while securing the protection of freshwater ecosystems that are essential for biodiversity and ecosystem services, including climate mitigation and adaptation.

COP30 in the Amazon – the largest river system on Earth as well as the largest rainforest – is an incredibly important platform for the Freshwater Challenge – to highlight progress, increase support from governments, businesses and NGOs, and accelerate implementation and action.

The Freshwater Challenge will feature in a series of high level events across COP30 with speakers from Member Governments and Core Partners. Priority events for the Challenge include:

Tuesday 11 November

• 09:30-10:30: High level event of non-State Actors of the Global Climate Action Agenda
  Coenraad Krijger, CEO Wetlands International speaking on behalf of the Freshwater Challenge
• 10:45 – 11:45: Urban Water Resilience and Local Climate Action
  Dr Callist Tindimugaya from Uganda (Country Member)
• 14:30–16:00: Water Ministerial – Waters of Change: Shaping Resilient & Sustainable Pathways
  Government of Peru (Country Member)

Wednesday 12 November

• 11:00-12:30: Building Resilience through multi-stakeholder collective action
  Teddy Taylor, Liberia  (Country Member) and Paula Martinelli, FWC Coordinator (Wetlands Int)

Friday 14 November

• 14:30-16:00: Freshwater Challenge in São Francisco River Basin, Brazil
  Featuring the FWC and supporting organisation

Saturday 15 November

• 11:00-12:00: Driving synergistic implementation of Rio Conventions (TBC)
• 12:30- 13:30: Biodiversity and Adaptation
  FWChallenge featuring in breakaway group with Paula Martinelli, FWC Coordinator (Wetlands Int)

Monday 17 November

• 14:00-15:00 -High Level Nature-based Solutions Implementation Roundtable
  Coenraad Krijger, CEO Wetlands International will speak on behalf of the FWC