April 6, 2020 – As of today, the Water ChangeMaker Awards is inviting submissions from those who have shaped water decisions that have helped build climate resilience. Submissions close on 7 June 2020.
On August 2nd, 2019, the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) launched its first ever “Young Caribbean Water Entrepreneurs Shark Tank Competition.” Applications closed on October 15th, 2019 with an overwhelming response from remarkable young people from the Caribbean.
The 6th PIDA Week was postponed in 2020, but it is now set to take place 18-21 January. The event is hosted by the Government of South Africa under the auspices of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). The theme is “New decade, new realities, new priorities – positioning PIDA and infrastructure development in Africa’s continued growth and economic recovery”. On 18 January, GWP Africa and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) are co-convening a session titled “Mobilising resources for PIDA Water Projects”.
After learning about more than 350 Water ChangeMaker stories from around the world, we are excited to share with you the list of 78 semi-finalists that have been identified by our qualified and diverse technical jury to pursue the next stage in the Awards selection process. While the possibility to submit stories was offered in six languages, a majority of the semi-finalists come to us from South Asia, South America and Central America, with wide representation from 11 other regions.
August 4 -- The High-Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP) was established to assist the international community, governments, and stakeholders in mobilizing political will and resources. HELP is committed to addressing water-related disaster risk reduction including the present challenge with the COVID-19 pandemic circumstances in hand. The consultation meeting was held to discuss and gain insights on how to practically implement key suggestions proposed in the HELP Principle to Address Water-related Disaster Risk Reduction under Covid-19 Pandemic. The consultation also aims exchanges among decision-makers, experts and practitioners in Asia region on how they can be better prepared for co-occurring disasters on water and health.
The water and sanitation sector stakeholders met on 28 and 29 June 2019 in Cotonou for the traditional sector review. Stakeholders shared and exchanged on progress but also reflected on major concerns in order to ensure sustainable access to water and sanitation for the population.
The ad-hoc Steering Committee for the Nexus activities in the Drina River Basin under the SEE Nexus Project, supported by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), had its first online meeting on 15 October 2020. Representatives from the Ministries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia relevant to the water, energy and environment sectors, were informed about and commented on the project’s objectives and planned activities in the basin.
On 1 July 2020, an Online Consultation Meeting is being held on the Wastewater Management Decision Support Tool (WEMDST), a Pilot project in the Frame of the GEF Drin Project.