The Consortium, comprising the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) and the Global Water Partnership in West Africa (GWP-WA), organized from 02 to 04 August 2021 in Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, the first of a series of eight (8) national training workshops on "Mainstreaming gender into the end-to-end early warning system for flood forecasting and integrated flood risk management in the Volta Basin”. This was followed by the holding of the Decision-makers' Day on Thursday, August 5, which focused on the same theme in Bobo Dioulasso.
GWP-WA together with IUCN-PACO and PREE project coordinating unit held an hybrid (part face to face and part virtually) Steering Committee meeting on 27 and 28 July, 2021.
We are happy to introduce the GWP Water Academy for Youth (W.A.Y.). The GWP W.A.Y. is an opportunity for young professionals to realise their potential in the water community, become influencers and leaders, create momentum with key actors, and enhance youth engagement and empowerment in water resources management. The first global activity is a joint GWP, CAP-NET, University of Andres/UNESCO online course, “From Learning to Leading: Beyond the ABCs of Youth, Water, and the SDGs.” Registration opens on 17 August and the course is free.
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.
August 12 marks International Youth Day, and the 2021 edition has the theme, “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health.” We spoke with youth in West and Southern Africa about their involvement in GWP activities around water and food. What are the challenges and how can youth contribute to securing the water-food chain?
