On 3 June 2020, during the Annual GWP Regional Days, the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) signed a USD 2,184,555 Grant for Readiness Support to the Zambia National Adaptation Plan (NAP) on Climate Resilience. The Grant was signed by Dr Monika Weber Fahr, GWPO Executive Secretary and CEO and Pa Ousman Jarju, Director for the GCF Division of Country Programming.
"Right now, a network like the Global Water Partnership is needed more than ever before," says GWP Executive Secretary Monika Weber-Fahr, as she reflects on what happened in 2019 and with a view to what the future might hold. Her remarks came in the just-published GWP in Action 2019 Annual Report.
Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity, were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year on 17 May to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification.
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) convenes the 2020 edition of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) from Tuesday 7 July to Thursday 16 July. The event will mainly be in a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some limited events held for New York-based participants.
In spite of the health crisis related to the spread of Covid 19, GWP-WA and its partners in Niger have committed themselves to the implementation of the project kick-off activities with the recruitment of the Project Management Unit staff and the setting up of the tools for the operational implementation of the project.
The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting all West African countries and upsetting all activities planned by various communities. Movement is reduced in all countries with harder measures in some.
GWP held its annual Regional Days meeting on 1-4 June. The virtual event set a record in numbers, with over 120 GWP participants worldwide. While the main purpose is to have a shared understanding of GWP priorities and approaches, one of the highlights this year was the ‘virtual signing’ of a grant agreement between GWP and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) on readiness support to the Zambia National Adaptation Plan (NAP).
Every year, all GWP Regions meet to brainstorm, share knowledge and learn about current challenges and future opportunities for the network at the annual regional days. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, this year’s regional days was held virtually for a period of four days, starting June 1st with over 100 participants at the opening plenary chaired by the outgoing Executive Secretary (ES), Monika Weber-Fahr . All regions were fully represented including GWP-CAf which was represented by the Regional Chair, Regional coordinator, as well as the Finance and Communications officers.
