The 2021 European River Symposium will focus on building connections between institutions, organizations and companies with an interest in rivers and whose activities affect the health and quality of river water and ecosystems.
How well is the world managing its water resources? To answer that question, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with the UNEP-DHI Centre and Global Water Partnership (GWP), have analysed the responses from 186 countries to the survey instrument on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 6.5.1 – the degree of implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) – showing that the world as a whole has advanced from 49% in 2017 to 54% in 2020. While this does show definite progress, 107 countries are currently not on track to meet the target of implementing IWRM by 2030, and to reach the global goal, the current rate of implementation would need to at least double.
In a series of inter-regional discussions, GWP Senior Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist Liza Debevec is investigating what GWP as an institution can do to apply gender equality and social inclusion in its practical work. From the GWP Gender Action Piece, published in 2017, she looks at the 4 action areas that were identified as key to progress. This month, she talked to Colin Herron and Fabiola Tábora about Action Area 2 – gender and inclusion analysis that drives change. Both Herron and Tábora are involved in finalizing complementary gender analyses in their respective areas of expertise – global and regional (Central America) – and they discuss how to use the findings to transform water resources management through gender mainstreaming.
Social inclusion and gender equality are long-established, core values of the GWP Network and manifested in the GWP Gender Strategy and the GWP Gender Action Piece. In a series of inter-regional discussions, GWP Senior Gender & Social Inclusion Specialist Liza Debevec sets out to identify what GWP as an institution can do to apply the concepts in these documents. Her first discussion is with Amy Sullivan and Andrew Takawira, who are both involved in a large Pan-African project on gender transformative water and climate investment. The discussion topic is institutional leadership and commitment, which is the first of 4 action areas in the Gender Action Piece. Their message is clear: leadership makes all the difference.
The final Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan was deliberated at the bilateral Lake Ohrid Watershed Committee, consisting of political representatives from Albania and North Macedonia, with a view to next steps towards its implementation.
The Water ChangeMaker Awards was launched during the World Water Week, 22nd March 2020. The submission of an application was opened from 6 April and last until 14 June 2020, after extend-ed for one week. The award aims to make visible the teams and organizations that shape water decisions that build climate resili-ence – and to create and support a community of ChangeMakers who contribute and learn from each other in shaping the lessons learned about how to make positive change happen. The initiative is designed to make sure that everybody will benefit from oppor-tunities to Connect, Collaborate, and to Celebrate.
