The first International Forum on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) which gathered delegates from 47 countries ended with the Praia Commitments, which aim to promote sustainable water management as an engine for development, strengthening synergies across the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030, and supporting farmers through improved access to finance, innovative technologies and the adoption of sustainable water management practices.
October 28-30, 2018, the Great Rivers Forum (GRF) took place at the Changjiang Civilization Museum in Wuhan, Hubei Province where is the base of the Changjiang/Yangtze River Commission in China.
On 29 November 2019, His Excellency Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, former President of Tanzania, officially took over the Chairmanship of Global Water Partnership Southern Africa and Africa Coordination Unit (GWPSA-ACU).
The first “International Workshop on Water and Agriculture in the Danube River Basin“ will take place from 6th to 7th November 2019 in Budapest, Hungary. The workshop is co-organised by the ICPDR, the Hungarian Ministry of Interior, the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and the Danube Strategy Priority Area 4 and hosted by the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture.
GWP, Cap-Net UNDP, and other partners have introduced a new tool to foster Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) on a global scale. The online course, Unpacking the Opportunities of IUWM for Sustainable Cities, was held in October-November 2018. It attracted 154 applications, with 72 accepted, and a follow-up course is being planned for 2019. “The great thing with the course is that it can be adapted to fit any project as needed,” says GWP Senior Network Specialist François Brikké, who sees a big potential in further developing the course at regional and country level.
In one of its key activities at COP25, GWP announced a new collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other partners, to create plausible water solutions for a climate-resilient future in 2030 and beyond. The initiative is called "Water Resilience Frontiers: Pathways for transformational Climate Resilient Water Security in 2030 and Beyond".
Capacity building workshops and outreach activities by the Alter Aqua Programme aim to educate and engage youth in Non Conventional Water Resources and awareness raising for water, including as a culture and heritage component.
GEF/UNDP/GWP-Med project 'Enabling transboundary cooperation and integrated water resources management in the extended Drin River Basin' (GEF Drin Project) is making efforts to raise public awareness about the natural wealth and cultural heritage of the Drin River Basin through the celebration of Drin Day 2019.
On 8 March 2019: International Women’s Day falls on 8 March with this year’s theme “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change” which focuses on innovative ways in which individuals can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of access to public services, social protection systems and sustainable infrastructure. Transformations, integrated approaches and new solutions are necessary particularly for advancing gender equality and empowering women on the journey to achieve the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In other words, “business as usual” will not be sufficient and should put forward innovative approaches that removes structural barriers and ensures no woman and no girl is left behind.
