World Water Day is an annual observance day on 22 March to highlight the importance of the world’s water resources. For GWP, this an important day to be an 'ambassador for water' and the network participates in celebrations around the world in various ways. Here are some of the highlights of 2018.
The official ceremony was chaired by Mr. Drissa Samaké, technical advisor to the Ministry of Energy and Water. This year, Mali is celebrating the event in a particularly alarming context. According to the Deputy Director General of Hydraulics, Mr. Djorou Bocoum, water stress has never been so present in Mali since 1984. Rivers usually withdraw in January, but this year, he explains, they began to withdraw in September.
The Country Water Partnership of Ivory Coast (PNECI) organized a meeting to celebrate the World Water Day in the country on the Day’s topic on "nature based- solutions". The event was attended by representatives of partner ministries, state structures, the private sector and Ivorian civil society organizations.
The Orange-Senqu River Basin is a transboundary water resource shared by Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa, managed by the Orange–Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) - a GWP Southern Africa Partner. The Commission was established in 2000 and in this interview, Executive Secretary Lenka Thamae describes the partnership and issues at hand.
Water and Climate Change resilient youth champions and communities in Hindon River basin project was successfully concluded with the Hindon Mela held on 24 February 2018.
Stemming from the realisation of the inherent linkages between governance and the mobilisation of financial resources for the water sector, the aim of the Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector Project has been to diagnose related bottlenecks and identify plausible and realistic recommendations to help overcome them.
In the face of profound global water challenges, on World Water Day 2018 five global multi-stakeholder partnerships representing business, governments, intergovernmental organisations, academia, and civil society organisations announced a new collaboration effort designed to accelerate progress toward ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation around the world. (Full statement at right.)