The United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in 1992 and governments have participated since then in its decision-making body, the ‘Conference of the Parties’ (COP). Chile presided over the 25th annual COP held December 2019 in Madrid, Spain. While COPs necessarily emphasise energy negotiations and carbon mitigation policies, water is an increasingly prominent topic because of the need for water in energy production and its importance in nature-based and engineered adaptation and mitigation solutions. Climate-change-induced water impacts are key considerations in, for example, infrastructure planning under changing flood and drought risk, changing agricultural practices and hydropower. Already ninety percent of all-natural disasters are water related.