Efficient, transformative change is needed to address the impact of more frequent and extreme weather events that threaten fast-growing urban areas of the Global South, and its water resources. Though National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) have helped countries identify adaptation needs and develop strategies to meet them, the participation of local actors is essential to implement comprehensive changes for global resilience.

Against this backdrop, this brief recommends that the G20 encourage cities, other subnational-level governments, and in particular water resource management actors, to develop and implement climate adaptation plans and governance agreements by using participatory approaches that bring in a wide range of stakeholders and leverage a variety of expertise. Participatory methods can create long-term public commitment, establish shared responsibilities for local governance, promote greater community involvement, and involve communities that are often left out of decision-making processes that impact them. Furthermore, the use of transdisciplinary and participatory approaches can promote key global agendas, such as the New Urban Agenda, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This brief highlights tools that can facilitate the effective use of such processes for local adaptation, and provides examples in which such efforts have been employed. It outlines potential benefits and trade-offs, with suggestions about how to overcome common challenges. It also highlights examples of participatory processes that have helped address water-related planning examples that advanced SDG 6 (ensure clean water and sanitation for all), while also safeguarding biodiversity, ensuring food security, promoting good health, and reducing inequality.