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 Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is taking the lead in assisting countries in developing national drought plans through National Consultants.
The aim of the 1st International Conference on Urban Agriculture and City Sustainability is to review and discuss ways in which urban agriculture can contribute to achieving sustainable cities. It is held 9-11 October in New Forest, UK.
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.
On March 27th, 2018, the Winward Islands Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF) became the new Host Institution (HI) of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C). Established in 1994, WINDREF is an independent non-profit organisation based at the St. George’s University (SGU) in Grenada. The organisation works to advance health and environmental development through multi-disciplinary research and education programmes. It also promotes regional and international collaborative relationships.