The World Water Week, held every year in Stockholm, is considered the major global annual event dedicated to water issues. More than 1200 speakers and presenters together with hundreds of participants more, will take part in its almost 300 sessions. The theme of this year’s Week (26-31 August) is “Water, Ecosystems and Human Development”. As in previous years, GWP-Med serves as the overall coordinator for the “MENA Focus” sessions dedicated to water-related issues in the Middle East & North Africa Region.
“Over the years, I have learned that the water crisis affects women and girls especially in rural areas with high vulnerability. Where there is no water, women and girls must carry heavy drums of water for kilometres, endure the hardness of the soil, and experience the insecurity to ensure their families the human right of access to drinking water and sanitation.” These are the concerns of Carmen Gonzales, Chair of GWP Nicaragua, as she shares her career story in celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD2020).
The Botswana Country Water Partnership (BCWP) was launched in October 2003 as a chapter of GWP-SA. The Partnership was established with a mission to promote collaboration and sustainable utilization and management of water resources in Botswana through exchange of knowledge, experience and the practice of IWRM.
GWP is hosting a Pan-Asia Regional training on Water Governance, International Water Law and Multi-Stakeholder Processes together with partner organisations. The training takes place in Kunming, China, 13-15 December 2018.
The Country Water Partnership of Benin organized in the process of designating non-state actors to the National Water Council (CNE), a workshop on 21 August 2019 in Cotonou to consult and define the mechanism for the representation of the non-state structures of the 2nd mandate of the CNE.
The GWP-WA Executive Secretariat Team met on 25 and 26 July 2018 at the premises of the Secretariat. The meeting aims were: (i) to make a mid-year assessment of the implementation of the annual work plan 2018 and (ii) to take the necessary steps to facilitate the attainment of the targeted objectives and the expected results by the end of the year for the network.
GWP/WA in collaboration with its partners IUCN, VBA, Eau Vive Internationale and IRC has started coaching young professionals through its regional programme for the employability of young people in jobs related to water security and climate resilience, which is implemented through the Integrated Drought Management Project in West Africa (IDMP-WA), #TonFuturTonClimat initiative, the Nexus & Food and Nutritional Security Programme and the Water Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP).
A CWP Burkina and GWP-WA team including the regional Project Officer, a Young Professional and the Executive Secretary of the CWP-BF, visited Koankin in the rural commune of Saponé to monitor and observe the effective start of composting activities as part of the implementation of the TFTC project in Burkina Faso.
The celebration of World Wetlands Day (WWD) on February 13th, 2019, marked the launch of GEMWET, a MAVA foundation funded project aiming to the conservation and sustainable development of high ecological value of the lagoon of Ghar El Melh in the Governorate of Bizerte in the North of Tunisia.