Water Is the Backbone of Climate Resilience – So Why Isn’t It Funded That Way?
Host: Water For People
Water is the backbone of climate resilience – yet it remains chronically underfunded. Why? And what would it take to change that?
Around the world, people are already experiencing climate change through water. Nearly 90% of climate disasters are water-related, showing up as too much water through floods and storms, too little water through drought, or too polluted water that undermines health and dignity. These water stresses put health, education, and livelihoods at risk, yet water continues to receive only a fraction of the funding needed for climate resilience and adaptation.
This interactive session brings together NGO leaders and partners working at the intersection of water, climate, and resilience to explore a critical question – why doesn’t climate finance flow to water in proportion to its importance, and what would help change that?
Through a short panel conversation paired with facilitated table discussions, participants will examine real barriers that keep water underfunded, share concrete examples of approaches that are helping unlock investment, and identify small but meaningful shifts they can make in how climate resilience work is understood, funded, and designed.
Grounded in lived experience, practical insight, and cross-sector perspectives, the session is designed to be accessible to non-specialists and will prioritize participation, connection, and shared learning across different geographies and professional contexts.
Panelists include Bishwadeep Ghose, India Country Director, Water For People, Elise Jabagi, Senior Climate and Finance Specialist, AguaConsult, Louis Boorstin, Managing Director, Osprey Foundation, and Maren Barbee, Initiative Manage, Catholic Relief Services - Azure Source Capital. Moderated by Kathryn Pharr, Founder, Community of Women in Water.
More from Water For People on the intersection of water, climate, and resilience: https://www.waterforpeople.org/climate/
This venue has a capacity of 50.