Water, vital for sustaining life, is becoming increasingly scarce as global demand has surged tenfold over the past century. In Southeast Asia, ASEAN countries share 19 transboundary water resources, including surface and groundwater, most of which are managed bilaterally. The Mekong River Commission (MRC), formed by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, aims to promote sustainable development, management, and conservation of the Mekong Basin. Despite growing cooperation, challenges remain, such as the lack of legal frameworks for managing shared aquifers and the absence of cooperation mechanisms beyond the Mekong region. Water diplomacy provides a vital approach, offering strategies to address disputes and foster joint water governance through political processes that extend beyond traditional water agreements.
The States and regional organisations of West Africa and the Sahel region met virtually on 5 December 2024 to discuss the sustainable management of water resources in West Africa, with a particular focus on the regional initiative for the development, resilience and valorisation of water for West Africa (DREVE) and its various pillars. Participants discussed the challenges and opportunities related to climate risk management, project financing, capacity building and the preservation of the Fouta Djallon Mountains.
Integrating knowledge & practice for drought resilience: Following up on the first High-level meeting on National Drought Policies in 2013, the Drought Resilience +10 Conference aims at scaling up and accelerating drought action on the ground. It will bring together countries, experts and practitioners to review progress and lessons learnt in drought management to explore and define a joint way forward towards a more drought resilient world.
As a long-standing co-sponsor of the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP), the Global Water Partnership (GWP) is proud to have played a central role in organising the Drought Resilience +10 Conference. This conference, marking the 11th anniversary of the launch of IDMP by GWP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), served as a critical milestone in the global conversation on drought and water scarcity. It highlighted the pressing need for unprecedented collaboration to address the escalating threat of drought and water scarcity worldwide.
An article published in Svenska Dagbladet on 16 October presents several claims about the travel practices of GWP and its leadership that are misleading and do not accurately reflect the actual circumstances. This response aims to provide a clearer and more accurate picture.
GWP is announcing an important change in how we answer the question, “How many GWP Partners are there?” The new answer is: “2800+ registered partners – but the real number is significantly higher than that.”
African leaders, water experts, development partners, and regional institutions have reaffirmed the urgent need to strengthen cooperation and investment in Africa’s shared water resources during the Continental Level Consultation and Exchange Event on Transboundary Water Cooperation, held from 17 to 18 February 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
