Capacity building – at the individual, institutional, and societal levels – is an important means to further IWRM principles and boost the overall quality of water governance structures. Capacity building essentially stands for a twofold process: (1) it is about understanding the obstacles that prevent the people, the organisations, or any other elements of an institutional framework from fully realizing their development goals; and (2) it is also concerned with finding the applicable mechanisms in overcoming these challenges and ultimately achieving better and more sustainable results.
Through the implementation of its strategy, GWP supports water security and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) via strengthened governance and management of water resources. This is pursued by promoting Integrated Water Resources Management, a cross-sectoral approach, designed to replace the traditional, fragmented sectoral approach that has led to poor services and unsustainable resource use.
The unique value of GWP lies in its capability to mobilise action on the global water crisis through a combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottom-up orientation, and expertise. This ensures that the ‘voices of water’ can influence local, national, regional, and global development priorities.
The adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 is an opportunity to explain why the integrated approach can contribute to meeting the SDGs, particularly since SDG #6 is all about water – and calls for the implementation of integrated water resources management at all levels.
Managing the world’s water resources is foundational to development. If you want to feed the world—and contribute to poverty reduction, human health, and economic prosperity—pay attention to water.
GWP participated in the UN climate conference in Marrakech, COP22, with representatives from various parts of the network. Adaptation and financing were two topics that dominated many discussions, with a strong youth perspective throughout.
In our interview series marking GWP 20 Years, we talk to GWP Steering Committee (SC) member Dr. Gunilla Björklund. Her ties to the network run back all the way to its founding days, and over the years she has been involved in GWP project evaluations as a consult. She says the main challenge as a SC member is to have a global overview while still maintaining an understanding of the details.
