GWP-WA signed on February 19, 2021 with the Regional Office of the IUCN Program for Central and West Africa (IUCN-PACO) an agreement to support the implementation in 2021 of the project titled "Regional Partnership on Water and Environment in Central and West Africa (PREE)", with the financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

The Niger Basin Authority (NBA) organized from 13 to 15 April 2021 a regional workshop to set up a functional platform for the W transboundary biosphere reserve as part of its support to promote and implement an ecosystem-based approach and IWRM practices through better coordination of interventions related to the complex between the three riparian countries, Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. The event was held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The water users of the Gbadohouin hydrological unit faced problems related to the weak governance of the resource. To address this situation, a Local Water Committee (LWC) was established.

From 4 to 10 April 2021 in Lomé, Togo, GWP-WA’s National IWRM Consultant participated in the mission to conduct a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) expected to lead to develop a high-quality concept note for the project for building the resilience of vulnerable Communities in the country through providing IWRM and WASH climate-sensitive services.

CEENERGYNEWS spoke with Konstantin Ivanov, Regional Coordinator at the Global Water Partnerships Central and Eastern Europe about the importance of investing in water that supports sustainable development, boost the economy and create new jobs and opportunities.

Following a study conducted by GWP-Cameroon within the context of the AIP Water Climate Development-Gender Program (WACDEP-G) to identify the formal and informal barriers to gender equality in the planning and implementation of development projects in the country’s water and climate sector, a stakeholder dialogue was held in Douala from April 29th – 30th to consolidate and enrich the results and recommendations of the study.

The GWP Steering Committee members appointed Ms. Jamilla Sealy as Vice-Chair of the committee with immediate effect. Sealy, who joined the committee in December 2020, also holds the first-ever permanent youth seat.

For seven years, the Kazakh-German University (KGU) has been annually holding an Olympiad in the field of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) among students from Central Asian countries. Since last year, the University has expanded the subject matter of the Olympiad and conducts it within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the UN.

On 26 April 2021, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in Zambia, in collaboration with GWPSA, convened a kick-off ceremony for the National Adaptation Planning for Climate Resilience (NAP4CR) Project.

In our series of inter-regional discussions on gender equality and social inclusion, GWP Senior Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist Liza Debevec is exploring the ‘Action Areas’ of the GWP Gender Action Piece, to identify what GWP as an institution can do to apply them. In the fourth and final discussion, she talked to Hycinth Banseka and Julienne Roux about the issue of equal access to and control of resources. Banseka, who is Regional Coordinator for GWP Central Africa, says it is a complex issue in Africa, where the cultural context of each country demands different approaches, and where language and long-term thinking are key to progress.