GWP-Med facilitating dialogue with youth on Nexus approach toward achieving SDG Goals and their role at the first African Young Water Professional Forum

GWP promotes youth inclusion in water resources management. One of those ways is through a robust internship programme. Civil Engineer Axel Martinez, 26, from Nicaragua, spent five months with GWP Central America as a Young Professional Development Initiative Intern under GWP’s Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP). He says the experience has helped him to grow professionally.

The governments of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger have committed to develop their national drought plans in the framework of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The UNCCD adopted in Paris on 17 June 1994 is one of the three Rio Conventions adopted by 193 countries including Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. Like other countries, the three (3) West African countries have committed to develop a national drought plan as part of the first phase of the UNCCD drought initiative.

The CWP-Benin with the experiences of its network in IWRM promotion and strong involvement in the implementation of the "Water for Growth and Poverty reduction in the Mekrou Transboundary Basin" or Mekrou Project and the achievements made, is supporting GIZ in the Phase 2 of the Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Programme (ProSEHA) to achieve the results of component B of the programme.

The CWP-Benin, with the support of the Water Integrity Network (WIN), supported in December 2018 and January 2019 the municipalities in promoting good integrity practices for better governance in the water sector at the municipal level.

On January 29, 2019 the Country Water Partnership of Guinea had a preparatory meeting on the public debate on the theme "Integrated water resources management, what an innovative approach for quality management?" scheduled for February 02 at Mahatma Gandhi University in Conakry.

The West African Economic Monetary Union (WAEMU) held on 17 to 19 December 2018 a workshop in Ouagadougou to validate a study on the status of IWRM implementation in its eight (8) member states.

During the months of December and January the Country Water Partnership of Mali undertook to closely sensitize main stakeholders to raise the dwindling political will in the country on IWRM. On Thursday, December 27, 2018, a meeting was held with the Malian Association of Municipalities (AMM), to exchange with local authorities on Integrated Water Resources Management.

Isabella Pagotto of the Swiss development Cooperation met with a Gambia Country Water Partnership (GCWP) team comprising Mrs. Ndey Sireng Bakurin, chair, Mr. Momodou BE Njie, Executive Secretary, Mr. Yusupha Bojang, National IWRM Focal Point and Mrs. Fatou Sima Steering Committee and GWP-WA Technical Committee member on Tuesday 4th December 2018.

Boyla BASSOUROU and Cheick Aboubacar BAMBARA are the two young professionals selected after a recruitment process for professional immersion at the GWP-WA Regional Secretariat since July 2018. After six (06) months each one draws the first lessons from a stay at the Regional Secretariat.