The pivotal role of water cooperation in sustainable development was in focus at a high-level event arranged by the Government of Tajikistan in cooperation with other UN Member States and UN-Water.

GWP Chair Dr Letitia A Obeng spoke at the”High Level event Leaders’ Forum on the Future Women Want: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment for Sustainable Development” on 19 June 2012 at Rio+20, organized by UN Women, in collaboration with the Government of Brazil.

“How to reduce the threats of climate change and to make threats into opportunities” was one of questions raised at the high-level side event “Climate Compatible Development for Sustainability and Climate Security”, organized on 21 June 2012 at Rio+20.

The “Status Report on the Application of Integrated Approaches to Water Resources Management” was launched by UN-Water on 19 June 2012 at Rio+20 with GWP Chair Dr Letitia A Obeng as one of the panelists. This Status Report, prepared by UNEP in collaboration with UNDP and GWP, is one of the official UN reports to the Rio+20 conference, and is based on a survey of countries carried out in 2011. GWP facilitated the completion of level 1 and 2 surveys through the Regional and Country Water Partnerships, and is very proud to have been a partner in this endeavour.

One of the prerequisites to successful water resources management plans is the need for them to be gender sensitive. This point was emphasized at the Rio+20 Side Event: “Dublin Rio Principles: Where do we stand, what lessons learned “ on 18 June 2012, with Hon Rejoice Mabudafhasi, Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, South Africa and Chair of the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment, as Chair of the panel.

GWP Executive Secretary Dr Ania Grobicki was invited by the Brazilian government to speak at the Water Dialogue Panel which was broadcasted live on 19 June 2012. Ten recommendations were discussed by the panel and they will be transmitted directly to the roundtables of Heads of State and Government.

The importance of mountains for the provision of water was emphasized at the Rio+20 Side Event "Mountain Knowledge Solutions for Sustainable Green Economy and Improved Water, Food, Energy, and Environment Nexus" on 18 June 2012, in which the GWP Executive Secretary participated.

Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) was among various water agencies and stakeholders invited to the Project Launch Workshop of a Regional Water Sector Review being spearheaded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The Toco Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the north-east coast of Trinidad has been granted TT$17 million from the Green Fund of Trinidad and Tobago for an extensive rainwater harvesting (RWH) project.

Water and its management is becoming not just a local but a global priority. The UN Rio+20 Declaration emphasises the need to establish a green economy as the means to achieving sustainable development while protecting and improving the world’s natural resources. Water is increasingly seen as a central plank of the green economy. It is embedded in all aspects of development – food security, health, and poverty reduction – and in sustaining economic growth in agriculture, industry, and energy generation.