The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated annually on 17 June to raise awareness around desertification and drought. GWP Senior Water & Climate Specialist Valentin Aich, who works on the Technical Support Unit of the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP), shares some insights on what’s currently on the IDMP agenda. One of the major activities is expanding the programme to Caucasus and Central Asia (CACENA). Aich is passionate about this but explains that it is a process that will take years to achieve – however, all the elements are now in place and the time is right.
A series of six national stakeholders' meeting for the planning of the Flood and Drought risk management strategy in the Volta Basin started on 16 November 2022 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire as the first of the series to be held in the VBA countries.
Benin has developed its multi-sectoral National Adaptation Plan (NAP) which covers the eight most vulnerable development sectors, namely Water resources, Agriculture, Health, Energy, Forest ecosystems, Coastal zone, Infrastructures and urban development and, Tourism. This participatory development work benefited from the technical and financial support of GIZ and UNDP.
An online Technical Workshop on Gender Equality (GE) and Sustainable Development in Nexus sectors in Albania took place on 29 June 2021 with the participation of more than 50 representatives from gender related institutions, gender focal points from gender-related institutions, civil society, youth organizations and women empowerment activists and experts from Albania.
Two virtual 2-day workshops focusing on ‘The Climate-Land-Energy-Water (CLEWs) modelling framework and its use in the Nexus Assessments of the Drin and the Drina River Basins’ were held on 6-7 July and 8-9 July 2021 respectively.
Global Water Partnership (GWP)’s Africa Coordination Unit hosted the first Transboundary Water Governance Lab online event on the 18th November, with the purpose of assessing interest in the establishment of an International Water Law Community of Practice (CoP). The event was attended by alumni and partners of the Pan-African Water Governance and International Water Law, which has taken place annually since 2015.
