Representatives of different Mexican institutions traveled to the Netherlands and Germany to reflect and interchange experiences on water-related adaptation actions defined in Mexico´s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
Mexico is a country highly vulnerable to climate change and has therefore included adaptation actions in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Mexico´s NDC adaptation actions are clustered in three areas: 1) adaptation in the social sector, 2) ecosystem-based adaptation and 3) adaptation of strategic infrastructure and productive systems. With a majority of adaptation actions related to water issues, water constitutes a cross-cutting theme in Mexico´s NDC.
Within the bilateral cooperation between Mexico and Germany, the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance (IKI/GIZ project) provides technical support to the Mexican Directorate for Climate Change Policies (DGPCC-SEMARNAT) through a process of interinstitutional analysis and debate on the water-related adaptation actions specified in the Mexican NDC. With the aim of facilitating expert exchanges, the study trip to Germany and Holland is one element of this process .
The Mexican delegation visited institutions in the Netherlands and Germany during two weeks. Throughout the trip, topics such as water management in the urban context, adaptation in the river basin, strategic adaptation at different government levels, integrated management of coastal areas and renaturation of rivers were discussed. The delegation visited local water authorities, environment ministries, civil society and academic institutions in the Netherlands and Germany.
The trip took place from 27th of November to 8th of December 2017. Representatives from the following institutions participated: Directorate General for Climate Change of the Secretary of Environment (SEMARNAT), the National Water Commission (CONAGUA), the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), the Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA), the Secretary of Urban Development and Environment of the Government of the State of Yucatan (SEDUMA) and the Technical Committee of Groundwater of the Council of River Basins of the Yucatan Peninsula.