This event is part of the Global Climate Action Agenda programme at COP 31, under Axis 4: Building Resilience for Cities, Infrastructure and Water.

Organizers

Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) under the Marrakech Partnership

Background

This 60-minute Solution and Delivery Event under Global Climate Action Agenda Axis 4 / Activation Group 14 will examine how high-level political commitments become practical, accountable action on water security, sanitation and climate resilience. It will bring together political leaders, governments, delivery partners and cooperative climate initiatives to showcase country implementation experiences and identify opportunities to accelerate delivery.

Launched at SWA’s 2025 Sector Ministers’ Meeting in Madrid and now endorsed by 30 countries, the Madrid High-Level Leaders Compact on Water Security and Resilience builds on SWA’s Heads of State Initiative (HoSI), which serves as a country-led delivery mechanism. The Compact advances leadership, policy integration, sustainable financing, resilient services and mutual accountability. The Compact is formally registered as a Cooperative Climate Initiative on the UNFCCC NAZCA platform, strengthening its connection with the UNFCCC Driven Global Climate Action Agenda. It also contributes to the implementation of the UN-Water System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation through Priority Collaborative Action 3 (PCA3), focused on mainstreaming water and sanitation across the Rio Conventions. Together, these frameworks provide opportunities to translate high-level political commitments into measurable national action, strengthen cross-sectoral cooperation and accelerate implementation. Country perspectives, potentially from Brazil, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia or Ghana, will illustrate emerging implementation pathways, alongside links to partnerships and financing, including the related Activation Group 14 Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS) on partnerships and delivery. The event also addresses the COP31 Presidency’s Zero Waste priority by connecting wastewater and faecal sludge management with pollution prevention, circularity, resource recovery, emissions reduction and resilience. It supports GCAA Axis 4 objectives on multilevel governance, resilient infrastructure and water management, while exploring collaboration with other NAZCA initiatives, including those focused on Zero Waste.

Suggested Outcomes

• Greater visibility and political engagement for implementation of the Madrid Compact and HoSI, including country-led policy, finance and accountability pathways.
• Concrete opportunities identified for cooperation among governments, SWA partners, related Activation Group 14 partnerships and other NAZCA initiatives and Plans to Accelerate Solutions.
• Stronger integration of sanitation, wastewater and faecal sludge into Zero Waste and circular-economy discussions, with continued monitoring through national systems, SWA’s Mutual Accountability Mechanism and NAZCA reporting.

Agenda

See the agenda and more details of the event in this Concept Note.

Livestreaming

Coming soon