Accreditation of CWPs will enable the mobilisation of funds to implement programmes at a country level. GWPSA, as a Regional Water Partnership, will work together with CWPs to ensure effective implementation of GWP programmes and projects in member States, hence the prioritisation of the CWP strengthening process by GWPO.
Inception meetings between GWPSA and CWPs in Namibia and Malawi, both of which are almost ready to submit applications for accreditation with GWPO, were held recently. An Inception meeting with the Lesotho Water Partnership, which is also almost ready for accreditation is due to be held in due course. It is expected that these three CWPs will submit their applications for accreditation to GWPO by the end of the year, 2020. GWPSA is holding a series of One-on-One meetings with nine other CWPs: Angola, Comoros, DRC, Eswatini, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and South Africa. All meetings are aimed at strengthening, operationalising, and accrediting these CWPs. Within this Group of 9, One-on-One meetings have been held with DRC, Eswatini, and South Africa Water Partnerships, with the rest following suite in due course. It is also projected that the nine CWPs would submit their applications for accreditation by the end of May, 2021.
Efforts to revitalise CWPS will include the registration of partners with GWPO, as well as the preparation of documents for accreditation, including Draft Constitutions, Host Agreements, Institutional Work Plans, convening of Annual Partnership meetings and election of new CWP Executive Committees, through the implementation of the CWPs Strategy for the Strengthening, Operationalisation and Accreditation of the Partnership.
Country Water Partnerships provide a neutral, multi-stakeholder platform for facilitating improvements in the way water resources are managed at a national level. A CWP is made up of the GWP Partners in a country.
The accreditation of each CWP is based on fulfilment of GWPO's CWPs Conditions for Accreditation, with the operations of each CWP being guided by CWPs Constitution as well as various Operational Guidelines provided by GWPO. GWP currently has 69 accredited Country Water Partnerships around the world.