The national reforestation campaign launched on July 12, 2021, in Koundara, one of the prefectures under threat of desertification, is supported by non-governmental organizations for the protection of natural resources.

The general objective of the meeting was to briefly present to the members of the technical committee the content of the draft report of the pre-feasibility study of the project in order to enable them to provide guidance to the consulting team in the formulation of the concept note and the finalization of the pre-feasibility study report.

Guiding principles for the stakeholder-led development of the AIP Water Investment Scorecard have now been adopted by the Core and Technical Groups of partners.

We are happy to introduce the GWP Water Academy for Youth (W.A.Y.). The GWP W.A.Y. is an opportunity for young professionals to realise their potential in the water community, become influencers and leaders, create momentum with key actors, and enhance youth engagement and empowerment in water resources management. The first global activity is a joint GWP, CAP-NET, University of Andres/UNESCO online course, “From Learning to Leading: Beyond the ABCs of Youth, Water, and the SDGs.” Registration opens on 17 August and the course is free.

The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on transboundary freshwater security opened in August 2020. A year on, the MOOC has attracted over 2,300 participants from 150 countries, and the course is confirmed for another year on the same platform – with more language versions in the making to reach an even greater audience, and with more interactive events to engage participants. Chinese video subtitles are already available, and several other translations are under preparation.

August 12 marks International Youth Day, and the 2021 edition has the theme, “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health.” We spoke with youth in West and Southern Africa about their involvement in GWP activities around water and food. What are the challenges and how can youth contribute to securing the water-food chain?

Abstracts can now be submitted to the 4th SADC Groundwater Conference, to be held 10– 12 November 2021, under the theme "Towards a Water Resilient SADC-Groundwater Systems Thinking".