A GWP delegation including the Coordinator, the Project manager and by the chair met with the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) Executive Secretary and some her colleagues on May 10, 2016. The discussions focused on how to start the implementation of the framework agreement for the promotion of political dialogue in the Mékrou tranboundary river basin signed in December 2015 by the three countries. To start with it was sugggested that the issue be included in the agenda of the next NBA council of ministers.
Nine (9) countries across Africa among which four (4) are from West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria) met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 18-19 May to take a step further on the national consultations carried out in 2015 that led-up to the UN Committee on Food Security’s (UN CFS) 42nd session.
The Chair, Regional Coordinator, the IDMP project officer and Communications Manager of GWP West Africa took part in to the GWP Regional Days meetings in Stockholm from 8 to 13 May 2016.
« Alliance Fas’Eau » is the name of the new alliance officially launched on 17 May 2016 in Ouagadougou by a group of fourteen (14) Civil Society organisation under the leadership of IRC Burkina.
As part of the implementation of the GWP Gender Strategy, a workshop for 24 rural women on the installation and maintenance of a rainwater harvesting system as an alternative to water scarcity recently took place in Honduras. Participants included women who had previous experience in water management and who are leaders in their communities, NGOs, or work in a municipality.
On July 1, 2016, Dr. Oyun Sanjaasuren assumes the role of new Chair of the Global Water Partnership (GWP): "I think those who set up GWP 20 years ago - the people, organisations, governments - were very visionary and had good foresight. It is only more recently that water and water governance gained wider understanding and support”. Dr. Oyun says that now is a crucial time for GWP to influence the global development agenda.
A mission toured schools neighboring IWRM pilot sites of Mono and Couffo departments to , a monitor and evaluate the achievements of the teacher trained on hygiene and sanitation.
This mission went to the municipalities of Lalo, Dogbo, Lokossa and Athiémé on 25 and 26 May 2016. The schools visited are respectively ZOUNHOME, DEKANDJI / B OUEDEME and ADOHOUN DEKPOE. This action undertaken in partnership with the Belgian NGO, Protos was done by Mrs Aurore BIOKOU, Training and Communication officer of Benin CWP and Herbert GANSOU, Animator / Mono-Couffo LWP.
CWP Benin, leading the consultation framework of non state actors of water and sanitation sector has organized on May 3, 2016 a meeting of stakeholders. This meeting was followed by a press conference on the proposal from the civil society organizations asking that the rights to water and sanitation be included in the constitution of Benin. It came out from discussions that a Note should be drafted and addressed for advocacy purposes to the commission set up by the Government on the issue. A team of the civil society was heared by this commission on 23 May 2016.
The financial Officer of the Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP-WA) visited CWP-Ghana and partners from 30-31 May 2016. The main purpose of the visit was to interact with the project management team on progress of implementation of the recommendations from the 2014 and 2015 audit reports of WACDEP.
The Youth H2O forum joined a number of stakeholders in commemorating World Water Day which fell on 22nd March 2016. The day was commemorated in two different places. The main event was held in Choma Southern province on the 21st March, and the other event was held in Lusaka at Mtendere Clinic.