GWP Executive Secretary Monika Weber-Fahr spoke at the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO’s) Commission for Hydrology Technical Conference “Future Hydrological Priorities and Arrangements” on 11 February in Geneva, Switzerland. She delivered a key message on the need for organising so that stakeholders can easily engage with the WMO: “From the perspective of our partners in over 180 countries, GWP is keen to see WMO continue to build its offer to be an easily accessible, reliable and credible entry-point to the world of data and knowledge on the climate/water interface.”
The Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) – a joint initiative of GWP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) – is providing targeted drought management support to 8 countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Serbia, Macedonia, and Moldova as part of the UNCCD Drought Initiative.
GWP promotes youth inclusion in water resources management. One of those ways is through a robust internship programme. Civil Engineer Axel Martinez, 26, from Nicaragua, spent five months with GWP Central America as a Young Professional Development Initiative Intern under GWP’s Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP). He says the experience has helped him to grow professionally.
The governments of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger have committed to develop their national drought plans in the framework of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The UNCCD adopted in Paris on 17 June 1994 is one of the three Rio Conventions adopted by 193 countries including Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. Like other countries, the three (3) West African countries have committed to develop a national drought plan as part of the first phase of the UNCCD drought initiative.
The CWP-Benin, with the support of the Water Integrity Network (WIN), supported in December 2018 and January 2019 the municipalities in promoting good integrity practices for better governance in the water sector at the municipal level.
The West African Economic Monetary Union (WAEMU) held on 17 to 19 December 2018 a workshop in Ouagadougou to validate a study on the status of IWRM implementation in its eight (8) member states.
During the months of December and January the Country Water Partnership of Mali undertook to closely sensitize main stakeholders to raise the dwindling political will in the country on IWRM. On Thursday, December 27, 2018, a meeting was held with the Malian Association of Municipalities (AMM), to exchange with local authorities on Integrated Water Resources Management.
Isabella Pagotto of the Swiss development Cooperation met with a Gambia Country Water Partnership (GCWP) team comprising Mrs. Ndey Sireng Bakurin, chair, Mr. Momodou BE Njie, Executive Secretary, Mr. Yusupha Bojang, National IWRM Focal Point and Mrs. Fatou Sima Steering Committee and GWP-WA Technical Committee member on Tuesday 4th December 2018.
