The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) will be launching its Strategy for 2020 – 2025 themed “Mobilizing Investments for A Water Secure Southern Africa”, to its partners in Pretoria, South Africa. The Strategy, to be launched at a meeting to mobilize investments for a water secure southern African region, will guide how GWPSA will focus its work between 2020 and 2025 in line with the GWPO Global Strategy.

In its new Strategy for 2020-2025, GWP has committed to “purposefully reach out to and mobilise youth groups and younger individuals to confront water resources management challenges”. This statement is based on a commitment that GWP made in 2015, in its Youth Engagement Strategy. Now, a very tangible outcome is being introduced – a close collaboration with GWP and youth organisations to make sure that the voices of youth are heard.

Sida, Sweden’s International Development Cooperation Agency, and one of GWP’s founding Partners, held its annual development forum on 14 October. This year, the event highlighted gender and the inequalities that still exist around the topic. This aligns with GWP’s Gender Strategy.

GWP had a strong presence at this year’s Stockholm World Water Week (WWW), from 25-30 August. A large delegation participated in over 30 sessions, and the GWP Strategy for 2020-2025 was launched at a side event. The booth – the focal point of all GWP’s representatives, partners, and collaborators – was designed to encourage interactivity and inclusive participation.

GWP Sri Lanka conducted an awareness raising on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) among adolescent girls through a programme organised at a girls’ school, Matale on 5 July as part of their Water Messenger Programme planned under the Core Activities.

The GWP Steering Committee met at the global GWP secretariat in Stockholm, Sweden, on 11-13 June to discuss GWP's new strategy, governance reform, and knowledge and learning. The Committee acts as a Board of Directors and meets twice a year. While here, a few members shared stories on where they’ve seen water resources management work well for development.

GWP Bhutan under its Core activities conducted an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) sensitisation programme in Punakha Dzongkhag (District) for Instructors and Facilitators working at Non-formal Education (NFE) and Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD).

Following on GWP’s engagement for gender equality, GWP Cameroon has carried out a study on gender-related impacts of fluorosis in northern Cameroon. The report, which is due to be published shortly, shows that impacts are significantly worse for girls and women and that gender-sensitive responses are needed. The report was discussed and validated at a workshop on 24 May in Maroua, Cameroon, by key institutional actors, development partners, and civil society groups.

We invite you to read the draft strategy and share your thoughts. Comments will be considered and incorporated into the final version of the strategy document, which will be launched in July 2019. The consultation period runs from 6-20 May 2019.

On 25 March 2019, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) convened a Gender Mainstreaming in the Water Sector Project Preparation and Financing Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. The workshop, organised with support from the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), brought together financiers, project developers/promoters, project implementers, gender focal points and gender machinery from the 16 SADC countries to discuss practical issues with regards to gender mainstreaming during project preparation and mobilising financing processes.