Social inclusion and gender equality are long-established, core values of the GWP Network and manifested in the GWP Gender Strategy and the GWP Gender Action Piece. In a series of inter-regional discussions, GWP Senior Gender & Social Inclusion Specialist Liza Debevec sets out to identify what GWP as an institution can do to apply the concepts in these documents. Her first discussion is with Amy Sullivan and Andrew Takawira, who are both involved in a large Pan-African project on gender transformative water and climate investment. The discussion topic is institutional leadership and commitment, which is the first of 4 action areas in the Gender Action Piece. Their message is clear: leadership makes all the difference.
The Water ChangeMaker Awards are in the final stage of judging. From 350 initial submissions, there are 12 finalists. The winners will be presented during the virtual Climate Adaptation Summit on 25 January 2021. Here we recognise the top five countries where GWP partnerships mobilised the most Award submissions: China, India, Kenya, South Africa, and Uzbekistan.
The United Nations system designated 2020 as the year in which most of the indicators under Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation were to be updated. GWP, through its SDG 6 IWRM Support Programme, committed to assisting at least 60 countries in mapping out progress on SDG 6.5.1 – the degree of implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Despite the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, about 2,400 participants in 61 countries were consulted, mostly online.
Joyce Najm Mendez describes herself as a technoxamanist, TEDx lecturer, STEM advocate and social entrepreneur working on the water-energy-food nexus and transboundary cooperation. She is a MSc candidate in Sustainability and Adaptation Planning at the Centre of Alternative Technology, UK, and she has co-founded several organisations in Latin America, tackling mainly sustainability and adaptation-mitigation of climate change. In this article, she shares some of her experiences. She says that “working with young people means investing in the present, and the opportunity for real change in the civilisation paradigm.”
In December 2020, GWP welcomed six new members on its Steering Committee, adding to seven members who have served longer. The Committee acts as a Board of Directors for the GWP Network and the GWP Organisation (GWPO). The members rotate every three or six years. Now, for the first time, a Permanent Youth Seat has been added. Jamilla Sealy from Barbados is the new representative on this seat. “Being the first youth, and also being a female of African descent and from the Caribbean, which are often under-represented in the global sphere, makes it a humbling experience”, she says about her appointment.
Edit 14 December: Please note that the submission deadline for these internships has expired on 13 December 2020. Thank you to all who have applied, interviews will be set up shortly - for any questions, please reach out to us on internship@gwp.org.
Laurent-Charles Tremblay-Lévesque joined GWP as IWRM & Knowledge Management Specialist exactly one month ago. In his new role, he will develop and share tools and knowledge resources to help GWP’s Partners design and implement water-related strategies and projects aligned with the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). To mark World Toilet Day 2020, we asked him to share an experience from his previous role within the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector. He says that “toilets can help us fight climate change”.
The Global Water Partnership (GWP) Steering Committee announced the appointment of Mr Darío Soto-Abril (pictured) as GWP Executive Secretary, effective March 1, 2021. Soto-Abril joins GWP after serving as Global CEO at Fairtrade International since February 2017.
Climate change is getting worse. Floods, droughts and rising sea levels are threatening sanitation systems – from toilets to septic tanks to treatment plants. It is against this backdrop that World Toilet Day is celebrated on 19 November, raising awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. GWP celebrates the day by showcasing five Water ChangeMaker stories, providing hope that change is possible.
In Somalia, water is life - literally. It is also a country where much is happening today. The one-person-one-vote election to take place in early 2021 will be a historic milestone in the country’s road back to security, stability, and wellbeing. The economy is growing, driven by increased confidence, reforms, and bank development, and the business community is resilient, globally connected, and entrepreneurial. New opportunities for economic cooperation and integration on the Horn of Africa plays to the country’s advantage. Still, water remains a critical factor in Somalia’s development pathway. It is a water scarce country, at risk of climate related variability, and has to improve its capacity to manage water well in coming years.
