The Freshwater Challenge

Date: Monday 4 September 2023

Time: 3:30pm-4:30pm EAT

Location: Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) 

This is a high-Level event of the Africa Climate Summit 2023.

The Freshwater Challenge is a country-led initiative that aims to leverage the support needed to conserve the intact freshwater ecosystems and bring 300,000 km of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands under restoration by 2030.  

The purpose of the Freshwater Challenge is to: 

1. Ensure that restoration and conservation of freshwater ecosystems is integrated and properly addressed in the relevant global, regional, and national processes to tackle the climate and nature crisis and achieve sustainable development; 

2. Quantify existing global ambitions and account for the contributions of the different stakeholders to restore and conserve freshwater ecosystems by supporting countries to define quantitative, geographically specific, and coherent targets across sectors and connecting targeted interventions from non-state actors with national plans and strategies; 

3. Accelerate implementation of freshwater commitments by increasing the overall investment into restoration and conservation of freshwater ecosystems, mobilizing resources through existing funds and initiatives, and leveraging investments. 

Organized by the government of Zambia and Kenya and their partners, the event will present the Freshwater Challenge to the African countries, with the aim of creating political momentum towards COP28.and mobilizing action to restore degraded freshwater ecosystems in the continent. 

The event will aim at identifying countries and stakeholders that want to join the initiative and announce their engagement at the COP28 High-level event. 

Explore UNEP's full list of activities during Africa Climate Week/Africa Climate Summit 2023.