Right at the heart of Namibia, “the land of the brave”, in the capital Windhoek was the venue for the 7th SADC Multi- stakeholder Water Dialogue held from the 29th to the 30th of September, 2015. Held under the theme, “Watering Development in SADC: The central role of water in driving industrialization” the dialogue was attended by 150 delegates from across the region representing the water sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), cooperating and development partners, academia, the media, and other relevant stakeholders from non-water entities (energy, agriculture, industrialization). The delegates, of which a good number were youth were brought together to deliberate the role that water will play in driving industrialization in the region.
Uneven geographical distribution, coupled with pressures from rapid population growth, increased urbanization, industrialization and environmental degradation, is a big challenge to the sustainable development of Uganda’s freshwater resources. However, the policy and institutional framework has advanced over the past two decades in Uganda. The policy and legal reform process started with the introduction of the Water Act (1995) and the Uganda Water Action Plan (1995). Other key policies included the National Water Policy (1999) and the Local Government Act (1997, 2000). A key Lesson learnt is that political support matters in achieving success, as does the nature and logic of the political system. In Uganda, political prioritization of water and poverty was central to progress. The depth and longevity of sector reform relies on political support, which can ebb and flow.
GWPSA is delighted to observe International Women's Day this year under the theme “Pledge for Parity” by highlighting the achievements of some of the women in the network that have put gender parity on their agendas. [Mrs. Bogadi Theresa Mathangwane (Botswana); Prof. Celine Sikulisimwa (Democratic Republic of Congo); Ms. Suzana Saranga Loforte (Mozambique); Ms Maria Amakali (Namibia); Dr. Manta Devi Nowbuth (Mauritius);
Ms Nompumelelo Ntshalintshali (Swaziland).
Our interviewed speakers are exceptional women who have made their careers in water, from the government and academia arenas, and in many regards influenced policy. We hope that they will inspire you to reflect on the role that women working in the water sector can play. These women demonstrate their “Pledge for Parity” by taking concrete action as champions to help accelerate gender parity.
Read what they say about acknowledging their responsibility to do what they can to drive progress towards parity. Yet let us also be mindful that progress has slowed down in many places across the world, so urgent action in the water sector is needed to accelerate gender parity.
On the occasion of National Consultation Dialogues in Romania and Lithuania, today Global Water Partnership Central and Eastern Europe releases a video about the Integrated Drought Management Programme in Central and Eastern Europe.
1. Mekrou Project is studying the impact on the W Park
A study is being carried by the Country Water Partnership of Benin to collect ecnomic data on the visitors of the W Park that covers part of the Mekrou Basin. The assessment is initiated by the Joint Research Center (JCR) with the support of GWP West Africa.
GWP West Africa and the Country Water Partnership (CWP) of Burkina Faso animated a booth during the first forum on water and sanitation in Ouagadougou from 12 to 14 February 2015. The event took place around the topic : "permanent access for all to water and sanitation by 2030: Strategies, concrete solutions and commitments of relevant parties".
The international Institute for Water Engineering and Environment (2IE) in collaboration with DHI organized a training session on Integrated Water Resources Management and Environment. The training took place from 9 to 20 February 2015 in Ouagadougou for participants from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. As it has become an habit GWP West Africa was asked to make a communication on its activities and knowledge products to the participants.