The regional secretariat has continued activities to strengthen the collaboration with strategic partners at regional level. After 2017 year ending activities with the Volta Basin Authority, a meeting was held on 31st January 2018 at VBA to exchange on concrete actions to carry out jointly by the two institutions.
On Wednesday 31 January 2018, the Via Water project was launched in Cotonou, Benin. The launch ceremony took place under the sponsorship of the Deputy Secretary General of the Minister of Water and Mines, in the presence of the actors of the consortium in charge of the said project, the representatives of public structures of the sub-sector, the Ministry of Health, the young water professionals of the Beninese Network of Youth of the World Water Parliament (RB/PMJE) and the economic operators of the water sector.
On 26 December 2017, the Malian Minister of Energy and Water, Malick Alhousseini, opened a three-day workshop to inform and sensitize stakeholders on the state of the Niger River. Organized by the Department of Energy and Water in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development, the workshop aims to inform and sensitize all water stakeholders on the state of the Niger River and the current year's hydrological deficit.
On 17 and 18 January 2018, the National Hydraulic Directorate organized the workshop to validate Guinea's National Water Policy with IUCN funding. CWP Guinea took part in this important meeting the chair, Mr. El Hadj Mamadou Alpha HANN and the Executive Secretary, Mr. Hafiziou BARRY who moderated the workshop.
The Eighth World Water Forum is scheduled to take place from 19th to 23rd March 2018 in Brasilia, Brazil. The Regional Process is one of the key processes used to prepare for the Forum. Among other objectives are to provide opportunity to take stock of achievements and challenges in addressing global targets on water and to provide opportunity for stakeholders to contribute to the dialogue on water.
On January 30 and February 2, 2018, Global Water Partnerships (GWP) talented people at global and regional levels gathered Beijing where is the GWP China Regional Partnership based for an innovative coordination mechanism towards the GWP technical sustainability.
GWP Partner Warsaw University of Life Sciences, together with other partners restores and maintains the wetland in Kampinoski National Park in a LIFE-financed project Kampinos Wetlands.
On January 31, 2018, the Chair of Global Water Partnership (GWP) visited the Ministry of Water Resources of China (MWR) in Beijing, China to promote a closer relationship between two parties.
According to the existing statued of GWP -SEA, the governance system consists of partners (through Consulting Partners Meeting), Steering Committtee, and Secretariat. The Steering Committee (SC) will serve as highest policy and decisions making of GWP-SEA, and shall be composed by democratically elected representatives from each Country Water Partnership (CWP) or Country Network. It shall have one member representing their respective CWP plus a Chair. The SC Members will be elected by their respective CWPs or Country Network. One half of the member of the first SC will have maximum term of three years while the other half will have a term of two years.
Water is one of the most basic human needs and is now currently facing multifaceted complexity. From depleted ground aquifers to polluted river, water has been for quite some time under pressures due to urbanization, population growth, industrialization and so forth.