GWP Eastern Africa Regional coordinator George Sanga joined participants from the Netherlands and 7 Africa countries (Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, and South Africa), and Dutch Blue Deal partners for a workshop on sustainable financing of Integrated Water Resource Management. He shared the GWPEA experience with implementing the SDG6 IWRM Support Program on how the Blue Deal program can replicate the Matchmaking Initiative pilot in Kenya to mobilize financial resources in target countries.
These topics of water pricing, nature-based solutions, financial opportunities were discussed and an interesting excursion gave insights into the challenges of a local WRUA (Water Resources Users Association) in implementation of a Mangrove restauration project on the shores of the Indian Ocean.
Climate change remains one of the most pressing global challenges, affecting vital sectors such as agriculture and water resources. For the Kingdom of Eswatini, these challenges are not just theoretical but a lived reality. Erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and recurrent floods pose significant threats to water security and sustainable development. In response, Eswatini is actively implementing initiatives to strengthen climate resilience in its water sector.
Green Climate Fund (GCF) National Designated Authorities (NDAs) and Direct Access Entities (DAEs) from Sri Lanka, South Africa, Nepal, and Tunisia convened at the offices of the Development Bank of Southern Africa, in Midrand, South Africa from 10th to 13th February for a South-to-South learning exchange on GCF accreditation and programming.
Communities of Practice (CoPs) are social learning vehicles that allow us to move towards adaptative and integrated water resources management. Together with its 3000+ partners, GWP is co-convening 20+ CoPs on a variety of topics including, transboundary management, river restauration, nature-based solutions, drought management, and more.
The recent article in Svenska Dagbladet on 19 October, reporting on GWP’s finances, presents a biased and incorrect picture of the organisation. The article fails to take into account the major shift in development aid financing generally that has also affected GWP, and it does not report on the extensive development of programme and project financing that GWP has secured in recent years.
Drought resilience and biodiversity conservation are closely interlinked. Conservation efforts that protect and restore biodiversity help maintain ecosystem services, such as water retention and soil health, which are crucial for mitigating the impacts of drought. Healthy and diverse ecosystems can also withstand and recover from droughts more easily. Thus, preserving biodiversity strengthens ecosystems’ natural ability to endure drought conditions and enhances long-term sustainability.
Since its inception in 2003, GWPEA has partnered with various organizations to address water security issues in the Eastern Africa and Nile Basin region. As a custodian of integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the Region, GWPEA draws on 20 years of multi-level implementing experience, enabled by a functional interface with global development agendas, leadership, and finance flows.
