The National Council for Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Integrated Coastal Zone Management, headed by H.E. the President of Montenegro, Mr. Filip Vujanović, convened in Podgorica, on 15 June 2016, to review the draft National Strategy for Sustainable Development until 2030 that will be presented in July at the Political Forum's session of the UN Economic and Social Council. The National Council also discussed issues and actions related to the coastal zone management and the protection and management of water resources in Montenegro.
Five old, hand crafted rainwater storage cisterns located in the villages of Pyrgos, Mesa Gonia and Exo Gonia, were in the focus of a research project recently concluded in Santorini. The project aimed at advancing rainwater harvesting in the island of Santorini, undertaken by the University of Cornell and Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean, with the support of the Municipality and the Water Supply and Sewage Authority of Thera (Santorini).
The programme of ecological security of ten-kilometre river of Fujian Province was initiated by Fujian Water Resources Department and GWP China Fujian.
Dr. Oyun Sanjaasuren is the appointed Chair of GWP, effective July 1, 2016. Dr. Oyun is a former Member of Parliament of Mongolia, former Minister of Environment and Green Development, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs. She currently serves as President of the United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP.
Call for Quotations for Accommodation, subsistence and meeting facilities services for an event to be organized by GWPMED as represented by MIO-ECSDE in Malta during 26th to 27th of July 2016.
A review meeting on the 1st draft manuscript on the “Limpopo River Basin: Atlas of Our Changing Environment” took place in Johannesburg, South Africa on 23rd and 24th June, 2016. The planned outputs were met, as participants were able to discuss and strengthen the content; strengthen the visual impact of the atlas and identity case studies and hotspots. By the end of the meeting, the manuscript drafting team agreed to the comments submitted by participants which would once completed improve the content of the atlas and make it easy for planners to put to use.
The Project Officer and GWP WA finance and administrative manager visited Niamey from 8 to 12 May 2016 to ensure that the CWP and its Host Institution have implented the recommendations issued in the audit report and are following the agreed management principles.
A GWP delegation including the Coordinator, the Project manager and by the chair met with the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) Executive Secretary and some her colleagues on May 10, 2016. The discussions focused on how to start the implementation of the framework agreement for the promotion of political dialogue in the Mékrou tranboundary river basin signed in December 2015 by the three countries. To start with it was sugggested that the issue be included in the agenda of the next NBA council of ministers.
As part of the implementation of the GWP Gender Strategy, a workshop for 24 rural women on the installation and maintenance of a rainwater harvesting system as an alternative to water scarcity recently took place in Honduras. Participants included women who had previous experience in water management and who are leaders in their communities, NGOs, or work in a municipality.
On July 1, 2016, Dr. Oyun Sanjaasuren assumes the role of new Chair of the Global Water Partnership (GWP): "I think those who set up GWP 20 years ago - the people, organisations, governments - were very visionary and had good foresight. It is only more recently that water and water governance gained wider understanding and support”. Dr. Oyun says that now is a crucial time for GWP to influence the global development agenda.