World Water Day is an important milestone to raise the awareness of water security globally. The theme of World Water Day 2021 is valuing water. The value of water is greater than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. Without a comprehensive understanding of water’s true, multidimensional value, it will be challenging to safeguard this critical resource for the benefit of people, environment, and economic development.
The Indonesia Water Coalition (IWC) that officially established through the charter signing ceremony on the 29 January 2021 sees World Water Day as an important milestone to achieve water security in Indonesia, which aligns with its vision. Since its establishment in January 2021, the coalition has been focusing on initiating multi-stakeholder collaboration to tackle the growing water challenges jointly. To leverage best practices from each company and organization, we are inviting the coalition’s founding members to share their commitments, achievements, and future-plans to the public via online sharing sessions between 22-31 March 2021. As one of the founding members, Fany Wedahuditama, Regional Coordinator for Global Water Partnership Southeast Asia (GWP-SEA) shared these discussion topic on the 29 March 2021.
The development of the VOLTALARM Early warning system-based platform myDEWETRA as one of the activities of the VFDM project requires to develop flood and drought risk maps in each of the Volta Basin countries using the newly collected information and the existing one available from global, national and local agencies as well as other projects in the region.
After a successful first phase of implementation of the TonFuturTonClimat initiative (2018-2020), a second phase has been accepted following the February 2020 call for projects of the International Climate Cooperation Program (ICCP).
GWP-Central Africa (GWP-CAf) is happy to present its 2021 Activity report (french only), highlighting key achievements from its activities geared at ensuring water security at the regional and country level (Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sao Tomé and Principe, and Chad).
The 9th session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP9) to the UN Water Convention concluded on 1 October after a week of sessions, all serving to review and propose action towards transboundary water cooperation. GWP Executive Secretary Darío Soto-Abril was a panelist in a high-level session on the theme of 'Water and Peace'. One of his key messages was on the importance of turning challenges into opportunities.
Darío Soto-Abril took up his new role as GWP Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 1 March. In this interview, he shares his vision for the network at a time when GWP celebrates its 25th Anniversary. He also reflects on his personal view of water, as he answers the World Water Day 2021 question on what water means to him. Going back to childhood memories of growing up in Colombia, he has two words for this: happiness and equality.
