Key stakeholders from within and outside Jordan’s water sector were brought together in Amman on the 5th of February in the framework of the Jordanian Policy Dialogue within the joint GWP-Med and OECD, UfM labelled Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector Programme.
The Capacity Development component of WACDEP under the theme “Economics of Adaptation, Water Security and Climate Resilient Development In Africa" has been launched by the Ghana Country Water Partnership (CWP-Ghana) on 18th February, 2014. The event was held at Erata Hotel in Accra, Ghana during the organisation of the first Module of the workshop.
The Niger River basin is of importance to the region. The Niger Basin Authority was established to foster, promote and co-ordinate studies and programs relating to the Niger River basin. Today the authority is required to promote co-operation among the member countries and to ensure integrated development of its resources. This case illustrates and provides key insights into transboundary river basin management.
In Chile, water has been privatised. However, in order to make sure that access was still available to all strata of society, the privatisation was accompanied by a robust regulatory framework, including a system of direct subsidies for drinking water consumption and sewage services for low income households. This case thus illustrates that in case of privatisation, a direct subsidiary scheme should be considered.
The United Nations World Water Day is set for 22 March 2014. This year’s theme is Water and Energy.
The twin challenges of accessing water and energy for food and agriculture are central to reducing poverty and hunger in Asia. GWP’s latest Technical Focus Paper compares and contrasts the ways in which India and China tackle the challenge of harnessing water resources under growing water scarcity and competing demand. It argues that a global water battle is likely to be focused on Asia.
Twenty practitioners from the Agriculture Sector in Barbados had the opportunity to be trained in Water Use Efficiency at a workshop put on by the GWP Caribbean and its partner, the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, on 5-7 September 2012. The workshop was developed by GWP Caribbean to build capacity for improved water management through water use efficiency techniques in agriculture.
GWP Chair Dr. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss gave the introductory keynote to the Second Mekong River Commission Summit and International Conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on 2 April. She presented some key elements related to the Post-2015 Development Agenda, stressing the need for a dedicated water goal in an ever-changing world.
The Caribbean Weather Impacts Group (CARIWIG) is a new initiative setting out to create tools that will enable access to climate change information which are specifically applicable to the Caribbean region. To support the development of the Project, key regional stakeholders including GWP Caribbean, gave input at a Regional Stakeholder Consultation workshop on 6-7 February, 2013 in Jamaica.
Desires to maximise irrigated agriculture during the Soviet era has resulted in degradation of water resources. After independence, most countries in the region adopted national policies dealing with water supply and sanitation. Furthermore, since 2002, Global Water Partnership in Caucasus and Central Asia (GWP CACENA) promotes and supports introduction of IWRM. The main lesson learnt is that an IWRM approach should include any essential infrastructure needed for development.