A new film on the implementation of the pilot project initiated in the northern part of Benin in the Mékrou Basin has just been released by GWP West Africa. This video presents the actions carried out by the Mékrou pilot project in Benin. The Pilot Project to Support the Restoration of Ecosystems of the Head source of the Mekrou Basin (PAREM) in Benin aims to improve people’s knowledge on the impacts of climate change on the ecosystems of the head source of the basin; and to reduce the degradation of the natural ecosystems of the head source of the Mekrou.
The project implementation is coordinated by the Benin Country Water Partnership with funding from the European Union Commission.
Water insecurity costs the global economy roughly US$ 500 billion annually and causes the death and displacement of more people than cyclones, floods and earthquakes combined. In particularly vulnerable economies, a 50% reduction in drought effects could lead to a 20% increase in per capita GDP over a period of 30 years. Therefore, mechanisms to enhance integrated drought management are more critical than ever.
The Global Water Partnership-Nigeria team were in the National Assembly to pay an advocacy visit on the Senate Committee Chairman on Water Resources, Sen. Uballi Shittu and the House Committee Chairman on Water Resources, Hon. Aliyu Pategi. Due to the strategic importance of the meeting, Sen. Uballi Shittu sought the approval of the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawal to be part of the meeting. The advocacy visit is aimed at sensitizing the National Assembly on the activities of GWP and also plead for the accelerated passage of the National Water Resources Bill.
On Wednesday, 30 August 2017, an awareness and information workshop for civil society, the media and the general public was held in Cotonou on the ECOWAS Directive on the development of hydraulic infrastructures. The workshop was organized by the Benin Country Water Partnership in collaboration with the Ministry in charge of water and the financial support of the IUCN Global Water Initiative (GWI) Project.
With the resumption of activities in Bangui and to facilitate the implementation of WACDEP in the country, the Country Water Partnership of the Central African Republic convene its statutory meetings, the Assembly of Partners and the Steering Committee on 17 August 2017 and 18 August. This CWP was set up in 2008 but remained relatively inactive due to the troubles the country has been facing. A new Steering Committee was put in place, and Mr. YAKENDE Rodrigue Prosper was elected as the new chair.
Global Water Partnership Central and Eastern Europe releases today a video lecture on Natural Small Water Retention Measures which is available online for free and open to the public.
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 23 August 2017. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on initiatives related to water resources and human health.
The program on River Black (Hei He in Chinese) has implemented from 2016. The GWP China Yellow River worked with the River Black Administration to implant ‘sense of ecosystem’ into the mind of decision makers of to improve the environmental quality of the river basin. The WACDEP in China (2017-2019) emphasizes ‘integrated river basin management (IRBM)’ implementation outcomes of the River Black Basin.
The staff of the Executive Secretariat carried out a retreat from 24 to 28 July 2017 in Leo, with the aim of updating the planning and organizing the final actions for a good end of the Mékrou project and the other initiatives.
