On 16 November, the Transboundary Freshwater Security Governance Train stopped at its last destination for this year. Participants had the chance to learn about water diplomacy and negotiation, as well as the tools and methods that can be used to peacefully settle conflicts over shared waters.

The world’s most significant annual summit on climate change, COP26, came to an end on 12 November after two weeks of discussions and meetings to tackle some of the globe’s most pressing problems.

Panama and Nicaragua are one step closer to formulating IWRM Action Plans. During the month of October, both countries’ Ministries of Environment carried out national IWRM Action Plan consultations to identify and formulate priority measures to respond to the challenges of water resources management, with technical and financial support from GWP Central America.

The journey of our 2020 Water ChangeMakers came to a powerful end on 8 November at COP26, as they took to the global stage to present messages of urgency – and hope – to world leaders.

GWP was actively involved during the first week of the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow – ensuring that delegates and other participants understand the critical priority of catalysing climate-resilient development, integrated resilience planning, and facilitating access to climate finance for investments in water. This effort has been amplified through the Water and Climate Pavilion in the Blue Zone, offering up to 100 events on water and climate over the course of two weeks.

In an event on the margins of the World Leaders Summit at COP26, former Tanzanian leader and Chair of Global Water Partnership Southern Africa and Africa Coordination, H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete called on the international community to support the establishment of an International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa, which is urgently needed to accelerate investments in water security on the continent.

The Transboundary Freshwater Security Governance ‘train’ stopped at its second destination in the new season on 19 October, where webinar participants discovered linkages between transboundary freshwater systems and the marine environment in the framework of the Source-to-Sea approach (S2S). This topic was introduced by speakers who provided a comprehensive overview of this approach, and highlighted challenges with possible solutions.

Water must be at the core of effective climate action, but many countries are unaware of the powerful water-related solutions that exist. To remedy this, the global water community is speaking with one voice at the upcoming UNFCCC COP 26 Climate Change Conference by hosting a joint Water Pavilion.

A new online course on Gender and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) opens on 15 October. It is available on the Cap-Net virtual campus and has been developed in partnership with GWP and Gender and Water Alliance (GWA). The course aims to improve practitioners’ understanding of the benefits of integrating gender meaningfully in water resources management.

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many meetings, workshops, and consultations suddenly went online. In many parts of the world, in-person meetings were impossible for a long time, and only now are slowly resuming. In other parts, hybrid meetings with online presence and in-person participation are becoming the new norm. Each of these formats comes with its pros and cons. In-person meetings allow for broader and deeper discussions, while online meetings are logistically easier to manage and make it easier for more participants to join. A new publication analyzes the impact that different formats can have on the quality of the interaction in the context of multi-stakeholder consultations.