The Singapore International Foundation (SIF), in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, launched last week a regional multi-stakeholder platform to address the critical challenges of climate change, with a focus on water-related issues.
The Southeast Asia Partnership for Adaptation through Water (SEAPAW) is the first platform in the region to focus on strengthening water resilience as an approach to climate change adaptation.
SEAPAW will galvanize action among stakeholders in support of a shared vision, fostering cross-border projects, and accelerating adaptation financing through public-private-philanthropic models. Stakeholders include knowledge partners, solution providers, financial institutions and philanthropies, as well as governments and policymakers.
SEAPAW will focus on growing the community and identifying projects in key areas of interest to drive climate resilience in Southeast Asia. It will also report on the region’s progress in water-related resilience goals and climate adaptation, which will help identify areas of need for further action.
SEAPAW was officially launched at a dialogue hosted by the SIF, the World Economic Forum, and the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW). The event was held alongside the Singapore International Water Week 2024.
SEAPAW’s aims are in line with the GCEW’s call to collective action—to turn the tide and build a sustainable and equitable water future.
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was the guest of honor at the event. He is also the patron of the SIF, co-chair of the GCEW and a member of the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees.
Tharman stressed the need to manage demand for more efficient and sustainable water use in every sector in Southeast Asia, from rice-farming to advanced manufacturing, highlighting the region’s growing vulnerability to water scarcity and the impacts of climate change.
“The good news is that the solutions for water are within reach. But they require bolder partnerships to spur investments in both new technologies and proven, economically viable solutions,” he said.
“SEAPAW draws on the SIF’s regional network and the World Economic Forum’s expertise in public-private cooperation, and can help promote these investments in water resilience for the benefit of the region and the world,” he added.
