The GWP Steering Committee members appointed Ms. Jamilla Sealy as Vice-Chair of the committee with immediate effect. Sealy, who joined the committee in December 2020, also holds the first-ever permanent youth seat.
GWP capitalised on the unique opportunity offered by the 9th World Water Forum – as a place of convergence for stakeholders across its global membership – to host a two-day workshop on the Global Water Leadership (GWL) Programme. GWL country and regional leads met for the first time to discuss plans for the second year of the programme and explore how they can encourage cross-sectoral cooperation while also engaging face-to-face with experts from the GWP network.
In celebration of International Youth Day 2020 on 12 August, GWP organised an online discussion with GWP Youth Engagement Specialist Rianna Gonzales, who interviewed GWP Southern Africa Youth Coordinator Paseka Lesolang about his achievements as an entrepreneur and influencer. Paseka said that one of the most important skills that has brought him to where he is today, is self-knowledge. This has allowed him to stretch himself to the next point. “Know thyself” was therefore one of his key messages.
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.
The countries of the world have jointly committed to achieve the SDGs through the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including the SDG #6 on water and sanitation, central to achieve the other SDGs, particularly related to agriculture, energy, disaster resilience, health, environment and ecosystems, economic growth, and SDG #16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.
The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on transboundary freshwater security opened in August 2020. A year on, the MOOC has attracted over 2,300 participants from 150 countries, and the course is confirmed for another year on the same platform – with more language versions in the making to reach an even greater audience, and with more interactive events to engage participants. Chinese video subtitles are already available, and several other translations are under preparation.
GWP, GEF IW:Learn and Partners have opened a MOOC on “Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security.” The aim is to bring together countries that share freshwater resources – giving them the skills to cooperate so that the shared resource is managed sustainably for the benefit of each country’s population. The self-paced MOOC is available on the SDG Academy platform - it is free and open to everyone - but especially designed for professionals who manage and make decisions about transboundary waters in ministries and river basin organisations, as well as young professionals and future leaders in transboundary waters, including undergraduate and graduate students.
The National Designated Authority (NDA) of Burkina Faso organized on 20 February 2020, the second National Structured Dialogue on the Green Climate Fund (GFC) in Ouagadougou. The overall objective was to strengthen the synergy of actions between stakeholders for a greater mobilization of Green Climate Fund financing for the benefit of Burkina Faso.
