For seven years, the Kazakh-German University (KGU) has been annually holding an Olympiad in the field of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) among students from Central Asian countries. Since last year, the University has expanded the subject matter of the Olympiad and conducts it within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the UN.
GWPO Working in Virtual Environments (WiVE) team is coordinating a series of five training sessions in May and June, with the objective of enhancing our skills in facilitation in virtual environments. The sessions are optional and open to all global and regional GWP staff.
The 2021 edition of the European Development Days (EDD21) will take place on 15-16 June. The event is fully digital, and the theme is "The Green Deal for a Sustainable Future". On the first day, the SDG 6 IWRM Support Programme, which GWP coordinates in partnership with UNEP, UNEP-DHI Centre and Cap-Net UNDP, will be featured in a session on "Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) to accelerate progress on the SDGs". Registration for all sessions is now open.
On 26 April 2021, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in Zambia, in collaboration with GWPSA, convened a kick-off ceremony for the National Adaptation Planning for Climate Resilience (NAP4CR) Project.
In our series of inter-regional discussions on gender equality and social inclusion, GWP Senior Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist Liza Debevec is exploring the ‘Action Areas’ of the GWP Gender Action Piece, to identify what GWP as an institution can do to apply them. In the fourth and final discussion, she talked to Hycinth Banseka and Julienne Roux about the issue of equal access to and control of resources. Banseka, who is Regional Coordinator for GWP Central Africa, says it is a complex issue in Africa, where the cultural context of each country demands different approaches, and where language and long-term thinking are key to progress.
The strategic course of Turkmenistan is focused on the development of innovative approaches, using digital technologies and forming an ecological culture. The effectiveness of interaction between sectors (government, business and society) and properly built mechanisms of their communication and coordination largely determine the success of national programs. The need of intersectoral interaction mechanisms is determined by national legislation and international obligations of Turkmenistan.
The 12th Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD XII) takes place on 6-7 May, bringing together ministers and senior government officials from many countries to discuss climate action ahead of the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). In connection to the event, various satellite events - all virtual - take place on 3-6 May. On 4 May, GWP is co-organising a water event together with Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) on behalf of the UK and German Governments.
The Independent Dialogue on Advancing Water- Energy- Food (WEF) Nexus approaches to achieve food systems transformation in Central Asia convened by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) was held online on 15 April 2021.
This dialogue is one of a series of multi-stakeholder dialogues that insights emerging from these meetings will be presented to the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in September 2021.
The event series, “Transboundary freshwater security governance train” continued on 20 April. The initiative is a collaboration between GWP and Wuhan International Water Law Academy, and the topic of the 4th session was “International Water Law and Climate Change.” Around 120 participants joined the online session. “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges in international water law,” said event Co-Chair Barbara Janusz-Pawletta.
