In celebrating World Water Day that falls annually on 22nd March, GWPSA joins the rest of the world in reflecting and campaigning on the importance of reducing and reusing wastewater. In the face of growing concerns regarding climate change in the region, the need to meet the ever-increasing demand and efforts towards reaching the SDGs, and promoting innovative approaches to wastewater management and water recovery is imperative. The treatment and reuse of wastewater has become even more critical to contributing to the drive towards the provision of sufficient water for population growth and industrial demands.
GWPSA joined other key stakeholders working around climate change adaptation at a regional workshop on Climate Change National Adaptation Plans for African Anglophone countries. The workshop, which was held in Lilongwe, Malawi from 27 February-3 March 2017, was organised by the UNFCCC LEG and was attended by about 50 participants from 25 Anglophone African countries. The regional training was officially opened by the Chief Director for Environment and Climate Change Management, Dr. Yanira Ntupanyama, Malawi. Remarks were also given from UNFCCC (Dr. Paul Desanker, Manager of NAPs and Policies, and LDCs Expert Group (LEG) Chairman, Mr. Abias Huongo-Angola.
The Board of Directors of Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) is pleased to announce that Mr. Alex Simalabwi has been named the new Executive Secretary, Head of Africa Coordination Unit and GWP’s Global Lead on Climate Resilience. His appointment was effective from 1st January 2017. Mr. Alex Simalabwi succeeds Ms. Ruth Beukman who had served GWPSA since 2003.
GWP and AMCOW – the African Ministers’ Council on Water – have been working together for over a decade. AMCOW Executive Secretary Dr Canisius Kanangire recently visited the GWP secretariat in Stockholm to discuss current and future collaboration. Dr Kanangire says that GWP has a lot of knowledge, experience, and expertise that can support AMCOW to reach results in many aspects of water resources management.
India Water Partnership (IWP) in association with one of its network partners SM Sehgal Foundation supported by CAWST (Canada) organised a four day workshop-cum-training programme from 28 February to 3 March 2017 in Samastipur District of Bihar, India on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS). The workshop raised awareness on issues around WASH and possible solutions and built capacities of the participants on HWTS. It assisted in establishing a stronger water network in Bihar by also including activists involved in other programmes.
Drawing on the global theme for this year: Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality, we have asked women in the water community to answer the question: How can the water sector step it up for gender equality?
The Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean (GWP-Med) is seeking to hire a Communications Officer that will undertake related activities in the framework of the work programme of the Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean (GWP-Med) in Southeastern Europe, and the Thematic areas of (i) Transboundary Water Resources Management; (ii) Water-Energy-Food-Environment Nexus.
GWP China and the World Resources Institute (WRI) signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on March 2, 2017, in Beijing. Mdm Qihua CAI, Chair of GWP China, Prof. Yunzhong JIANG, Secretary General and the Secretariat officers visited WRI's office where had the MOU signing ceremony.
The significance of engaging young people in the design and implementation of policies, plans and standards in Disaster Risk Reduction has been recognized by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The Youth Forum at the Budapest Water Summit 2016 further showed that young people are unified across disciplines and scales to understand, innovate and adapt to the complex and dynamic nature of the global water system and climate change.
The 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction conference will be held in Cancun, Mexico on 22-26 May. This marks the first opportunity for the international community to review global progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which was adopted in Japan in 2015.
