‘Water Nobel’ winner Madani calls for focus on water crisis at COP31

‘Water Nobel’ winner Madani calls for focus on water crisis at COP31
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Kaveh Madani, director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), has urged global leaders to prioritise water security at the upcoming COP31 climate summit, Anadolu Agency reported.

Madani, winner of the Stockholm Water Prize, warned that the issue remains underrepresented in climate negotiations despite its central importance.

Speaking in an interview, Madani said water scarcity is increasingly central to climate justice, as vulnerable countries and communities—particularly in the Middle East, including Yemen and Syria—bear disproportionate impacts of climate change while lacking the resources to adapt.

He stressed that water and climate crises are deeply interconnected, with inequalities in access and resilience shaped by economic capacity, geography, age, and gender. He also noted that recent global discussions, including World Water Day, have highlighted how these disparities affect women and marginalised groups most severely.

He further warned that political instability and armed conflict, including in the Middle East, are worsening water insecurity, stressing that attacks on water infrastructure would have severe civilian consequences.

Madani concluded that water should be recognised as both a source of cooperation and a strategic pathway to peace, arguing that sustainable climate solutions require stability, while peace itself depends on equitable access to water resources.