Madagascar held its SADC Water Week on the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th June at the Ivato Conference Centre in Antananarivo. This event was held in high esteem given the present context in Madagascar. In fact, it has just been about 17 months since Madagascar was welcomed back in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). On Wednesday the 3^rd, a joint session was held for media experts and the youth to provide them with some relevant background information on this SADC initiative. The meeting brought together  youth from the water sector and beyond, as well as media experts from various ministries, some NGOs, civil societies and academic institutions.

Márton Czikkely, Tamás Gergely Iványi and Tamás Márkus from Városmajori Grammar School won Hungarian Final of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize on 30 May 2015 with a project "The Secrets of Drinking Water".

His Majesty King Mswati III's government through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy of Swaziland has joined the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in giving contributions to the fourth SADC regional water work programme. This three day event, held under the theme “from vision to Action” is being held from 27-29 May, 2015. The event is being held at Happy Valley in Ezulwini, Swaziland.

On May 4^th, 2015, the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) announced the winners of its Media Awards on Water 2015 – Video Competition.

Luke Smith, a Trinidadian graduate student at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus, has claimed the top spot in the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) Media Awards on Water 2015 – Video Competition.

The Second Consultation Workshop of the Palestinian Water Policy Dialogue, within the Union for the Mediterranean project Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector, was organised under the patronage of H.E. Mazen Ghuneim, Minister and Chairman of the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), by the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) in Ramallah, on 6 May 2015.

The Botswana SADC Water Week was held from 28-30 April 2015 in Gaborone at the Cresta President Hotel (Journalist training and Youth Forum) and the Cresta Lodge for the consultative forum. During the youth forum, the youth agreed on setting up a structure that will implement youth activities at country level and this will be housed by the Botswana Water Partnership Secretariat.

Youth are an integral partner in managing water issues – this was evidenced through the participation of over 30 youth that participated in the SADC Water Week held at the Maseru Sun Cabanas Hotel in Maseru, Lesotho from 21-23^rd April, 2015. The event proved that engagement of youth in water management issues makes it possible for the youth to understand their roles as possible stewards in water management affairs. Held under the theme “From Vision to Action”, the youth were able to make personal commitment to solutions practicing better water management.

The Cercle Elais Hotel in the Commune of Gombe in Kinshasa, DRC was a hive of the SADC Water week activities that ran from the 27^th - 29th of April, 2015. This highly anticipated event was perceived as a big water celebration and brought together national stakeholders from a variety of sectors including civil societies, academic institutions and consumer associations. The programme started with the journalists training which was coupled with the youth forum in an attempt to provide the media practitioners with topic ideas on the challenges and realities faced by the young water professionals. The youth aged from 15 to 35 years old were representatives of various students associations, youth organisations and private companies. 

 

In December this year, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) will take place in Paris. Governments are supposed to come to a universal agreement regarding climate which will determine the future of our planet.