Africa’s leaders have placed water and sanitation at the heart of the continent’s development agenda, with a commitment to mobilise at least USD 30 billion annually for climate-resilient water security and WASH services by 2030. The AIP-PIDA Water Investment Scorecard, endorsed to strengthen accountability and engagement with investors, has become a primary instrument to track progress and guide action.
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.
We are concerned about the recent series of articles published by Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) regarding the Global Water Partnership (GWP). While we respect the role of investigative journalism, these articles present an unfair and misleading portrayal of our organisation.
In 2017 and 2020, the SDG 6.5.1 Survey Reporting was conducted, and a post-Survey Assessment of the results was carried out in 2021. One of the challenges in IWRM implementation identified through the assessment was the lack of IWRM understanding among various government stakeholders, as well as the private sector.
On the occasion of the first National Science Month, in response to the call from the China Association for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Water Resources, China, focusing on the theme "Science and Technology Change Life, Innovation Wins the Future," GWP China Yellow River Basin Water Partnership and the Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research organized two events named "The Yellow River with You: Yellow River Science Reaches Communities."
The 2024 edition of GWP’s annual Network Meeting of GWP Partners will take place online on 8 October. This meeting will be an important step towards shaping GWP's 2026-2030 strategy.
After a long period of inactivity, marked in particular by the failure to hold statutory meetings of the Permanent Framework for the Consultation and Monitoring (PFCM) bodies for nearly a decade, a revitalisation of the regional IWRM process in West Africa has been underway since 2024, notably with the organisation of the 11th Ordinary Session of the Technical Experts Committee (TEC) and the 5th Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee (MCC), which were held in Abuja from 21 to 24 June 2024.
PRESASS 2024 was organized, from 22 to 26 April 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria, by the AGRHYMET Regional Climate Center for West Africa and the Sahel (AGRHYMET RCC-WAS) of CILSS, in collaboration with ACMAD, the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (SNMHs), the WMO and West African River Basin Organizations.
