Athens, Greece, 22-23 October 2007
Following up the commitment of all the Euro-Mediterranean Partners to "endorse a feasible timetable to de-pollute the Mediterranean Sea by 2020", the European Commission launched the 'Horizon 2020' initiative (Cairo, November 2006) that aims to tackle the top pollution sources of the Mediterranean by the year 2020.
International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
The International Roundtable on Protection and Sustainable Use of Transboundary Waters in Southeastern Europe was held on the 15th and 16th of December 2011 in Zagreb, Croatia.
Benin and the Netherlands signed a four year Memorandum of Understanding on water and pledged to establish a "technical advisory platform" with GWP Benin and the Netherlands Water Partnership playing the role of secretariat for the platform for 2012-2015. The MOU was signed by Mr. Ben Knapen, Dutch Minister for European and International Cooperation and Mr. Jonas Gbian, Beninese Minister in charge of water on Thursday, January 12, 2012.
The GWP SEA 24th SC Meeting was held in Phnom Penh-Cambodia, on 10-11 April 2012.
Recently, Chile's General Directorate of Water (DGA) has showed a keen interest in ensuring an integrated approach to water management, reflected in its 2005 document IWRM and Several Experiences of Organisations of Water Users and the most recent 2011 report: Chile – Diagnosis of Water Resources Management.
GWP Benin was established a little over ten years ago. In recent years, it has been credited with helping to steer the new Water Law through parliament (2010), promote acceptance of the Water Policy (2009), and campaign for the national IWRM Plan among the country's water stakeholders (2011).
Water Ministers representing four Caribbean countries endorsed recommendations for IWRM and water financing at the 2011 GWP Caribbean/Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) High Level Session (HLS) Ministerial Forum.
The Maltese Islands have limited freshwater resources and depend heavily on desalination. Therefore there is an evident need to mobilise non conventional Water Resources (NCWR) in order to secure water availability and facilitate sustainable development.
