To celebrate World Water Day 2021 and show what Valuing Water means in practice across the world, we have invited some of our Water ChangeMakers to share their stories about the way they have made smart decisions that reflect the multiple values of water– from the mountains of Peru, to the plains of Tanzania.
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting societies and economies of countries at their core at different levels. It will most likely increase poverty and inequalities in South Asia, making achievement of SDGs even more urgent.
OPTAIN (EU-funded research and innovation project) proposes a social and scientific journey towards the increasing and better understanding of the multiple benefits of Natural/Small Water Retention Measures (NSWRM). OPTAIN will identify efficient NSWRM to better adapt to extreme events (floods, droughts) and reduce conflicts between agricultural water uses and other human and environmental demands in small catchments across different biogeographical regions of Europe in close cooperation with local actors.
A technical workshop to launch community-based flood and drought management initiatives at the Badara pilot site in the rural municipality of Bama, Hauts Bassin region of Burkina Faso was held on 16 November 2021.
GWP Central America is coordinating a series of workshops regarding integrated drought management in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, which are part of the project “Increasing Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity due to Floods and Drought and Promoting Resilience in Central America”, financed by EUROCLIMA+.
Twenty-five years ago, the European Union and the Southern Mediterranean partners committed to turning the Mediterranean basin into an area of dialogue, exchange and cooperation, guaranteeing peace, stability and prosperity. The 25th anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration reminds us that a strengthened Mediterranean partnership remains a strategic imperative for the European Union, as the challenges the region continues to face require a common response. Recognising growing interdependences, the new Agenda for the Mediterranean aspires to turn common challenges into opportunities, in a mutual interest approach. Servicing these, regional cooperation efforts will continue, with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) as a focal point, supporting sub-regional and inter-regional cooperation, including with African partners, and joint initiatives between partner countries across the board.