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During the 5^th Meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Water Expert Group (WEG) in November 2015, a UfM Ministerial Conference on Water has been proposed to take place the first semester of 2017 in Malta. The technical process towards that was launched  with the WEG mandating a Drafting Group to elaborate on technical contents, in case the political partners decide to convene the suggested ministerial meeting.

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.

Asia and the Pacific has made impressive progress towards achieving several sustainable development goals including poverty alleviation, education and economic growth. At the same time, the region needs to accelerate concerted efforts across all sectors to achieve the SDGs by 2030. In the face of transboundary challenges such as climate change and natural disasters, energy security and connectivity, ecosystem degradation on land and in our oceans, and promoting sustainable equitable trade, regional cooperation can support and complement the effectiveness of national mechanisms and be a link between global goals and country level commitments.

The rapid population growth in cities, coupled with a changing climate pose great challenges for both people and nature. An integrated water management approach is required to achieve resilience while creating a livable urban environment.

Objective: Investment led trans-boundary management and governance of water and environmental re-sources.

Coinciding with the meeting of the GWP Steering Committee (SC), a High Level Roundtable on Water Security and the SDGs was held in Yangon, Myanmar on May 24, 2016.

GWP representatives are at the UNFCCC Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, taking place 16-26 May. The focus is on GWP support for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, specifically in relation to the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) from countries, the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes, South-South Cooperation, and financing. On Thursday 19 May GWP is co-organising a high level side event together with the Government of Morocco, the UNFCCC Secretariat Adaptation Programme, and GIZ.

Water is a key component of ensuring climate action. A GWP delegation was in Bonn, Germany, to convey this message and raise the profile of water at the UN climate talks, COP23, which took place 6-17 November. Rapid implementation to the Paris Agreement is paramount to battle climate change. Water is integral to build climate resilience and is therefore a crucial component of implementing the Paris Agreement. And GWP is well positioned to help countries deliver on the adaptation components of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).