BAKU, Azerbaijan - Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis today wrapped up a week of participation in the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku. Throughout the trip, Acting Deputy Secretary Daniel-Davis met with international leaders and stakeholders to highlight and affirm the Department of the Interior's commitment to tackling the climate crisis with collaborative, science-based solutions.
Acting Deputy Secretary Daniel-Davis participated in several U.S. hosted events throughout the week, focused on the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in policymaking, the value of Tribal co-stewardship, the importance of utilizing nature-based solutions as a key tool to address climate impacts, and strengthening Indian Country through the President's Investing in America agenda.
Today, Acting Deputy Secretary Daniel-Davis delivered remarks on behalf of the United States at the Azerbaijani Presidency's Water Declaration, helping launch the Baku Water for Climate Dialogue. which will serve as a COP-to-COP collaboration platform fostering continuity and coherence on water and its interplay with climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and desertification, focusing on actions at the international, regional and basin levels.
Throughout the week, the Department had a strong presence in events and meetings focused on the strength of international coalitions focused on building resilience in the face of the climate crisis.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act together represent the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation's history and have provided much-needed resources to enhance Western communities' resilience to drought and climate change. Since the two pieces of legislation became law, the Department's Bureau of Reclamation has announced 640 projects, totaling $5.1 billion, that invest in critical water infrastructure and drought resilience in 17 Western states from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - and another 222 drought mitigation projects and 16 domestic water supply projects, totaling $2.5 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act.
During her visit, Acting Deputy Secretary Daniel-Davis met with the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) to discuss their partnerships and collective goal of a more water secure future. In collaboration with partners like AGWA, the Department has provided leadership in taking a proactive approach to address water management challenges head on using innovative approaches.
She later delivered remarks at the AGWA-hosted event, Water Resilience for National Adaptation Planning: Empowering Climate Action at the Spanish Pavilion to share how the Department is working to adapt to extremes on both ends of the water spectrum - addressing drought as well as coastal and inland flood risks. In addition to the Department's drought resilience work, during the panel session, Acting Deputy Secretary Daniel-Davis highlighted the investments the Department has made in building coastal resilience on the East Coast through its Salt Marsh Keystone Initiative, which is investing millions to restore salt marshes that buffer coastal communities. She also highlighted the Department's $560 million investment for Tribal climate resilience programs through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and annual appropriations.
Acting Deputy Secretary Daniel-Davis met with officials from the Republic of Uzbekistan to discuss ongoing cooperation between their government and the Department's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to support climate adaptation and to advance science-based decision making and policy with respect to climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience. The USGS maintains a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation with Uzbekistan's Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, and another with the Ministry of Mining, Industry and Geology. These agreements guide USGS's work with Uzbekistan on several scientific projects regarding data management and collections, remote sensing, and modeling pertaining to surface water, snow, floods, groundwater, water use, mudflows, landslides, and environmental impact.
The Acting Deputy Secretary also met with leaders from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which has several partnerships within the Interior Department. The Department's Office of International Affairs provides technical support to the ADB's Regional Flyway Initiative, which strengthens climate resilience and adaptation of important migratory bird wetland habitats throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The Office of Insular Affairs has also collaborated with the ADB in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands on infrastructure projects utilizing Compact of Free Association grant assistance and ADB financial resources. Additionally, USGS and the ADB have established an agreement that will enable USGS to provide technical research assistance to the ADB's Pacific Urban Water program, with the goal of helping reduce risks to water supplies and build climate resilience across the Pacific.
