The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated on 11 February - it is implemented by UNESCO and UN-Women, in collaboration with institutions and civil society partners. The day aligns with GWP's Gender Strategy, which addresses diversity and inclusion, social equity, and women's role in the integrated and sustainable management of water resources.
Since the start of 2021, GWP and the International Water Law Academy (IWLA) of Wuhan University have co-organised a series of online events called "Transboundary Freshwater Security Governance Train" - a 'train' of events stopping around the world at different topics related to the main theme. On 15 June, the initial series concluded with its 6th session on international water law and transboundary groundwater. "We are in front of a puzzle, and this can get very frustrating – there are a lot of pieces, and it takes a lot of time,” said Dr. Francesco Sindico when he described what he called a complex maze of international law applicable to transboundary aquifers.
GWP and the International Water Law Academy (IWLA) of Wuhan University are co-organising an interactive online series called the "Transboundary Freshwater Security Governance Train". The series of online engagement sessions is conducted in an approach of a ‘train’ stopping at various locations around the world, focusing on topics related to transboundary freshwater security. At each stop, a different topic from the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security is explored. The 6th and final session is on groundwater and the implementation of legal commitments, and it takes place on 15 June.
Climate change is getting worse. Floods, droughts and rising sea levels are threatening sanitation systems – from toilets to septic tanks to treatment plants. It is against this backdrop that World Toilet Day is celebrated on 19 November, raising awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. GWP celebrates the day by showcasing five Water ChangeMaker stories, providing hope that change is possible.
For our third and final youth voice on water for 2019 we go to the warm Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago to meet Khadija Stewart, who shares her water journey and how social media and communication has guided her to where she is today: “A simple Facebook post changed my life”, she says. The story is part of a collaboration between World Youth Parliament for Water (WYPW) and GWP to make sure the voices of youth are heard.
In 2014, GWP and UNICEF established a strategic partnership to work on climate resilience and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). The collaboration resulted in a Strategic Framework and a range of technical briefs and guidance notes to support the implementation of the Framework. In February 2018, a website was launched with the knowledge products. Since then, they have become among the most downloaded publications with GWP involvement. To mark World Toilet Day 2019 (19 November), which has a strong link to WASH, GWP followed up on the use of the material.
