The 25th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWPSA Symposium will be held from 30th October to 1st November 2024, at Avani Maseru Hotel, Maseru, the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. The event will be held under the theme, “Enhancing Sustainability: Upscaling Innovations and Best Practices for Integrated Catchment and Water Resources Management (ICWRM) in Eastern and Southern Africa – Leaving No One Behind”
GWP-Med in partnership with the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) led activities in Palestine for the GWL Programme, a global initiative supporting emerging leadership for improved water, sanitation and hygiene services, and climate resilience. GWL was funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The governments of Angola and Namibia have officially endorsed and kickstarted the implementation of a joint transboundary water project titled "Enhanced Water Security and Community Resilience in the Adjacent Cuvelai and Kunene Transboundary River Basins." This initiative aims to address the pressing challenges of water scarcity, floods, and droughts in the Cuvelai and Kunene River Basins.
After a long period of inactivity, marked in particular by the failure to hold statutory meetings of the Permanent Framework for the Consultation and Monitoring (PFCM) bodies for nearly a decade, a revitalisation of the regional IWRM process in West Africa has been underway since 2024, notably with the organisation of the 11th Ordinary Session of the Technical Experts Committee (TEC) and the 5th Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee (MCC), which were held in Abuja from 21 to 24 June 2024.
Growing populations and climatic impacts are placing unprecedented pressure on water resources. This is true of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region which comprises 16 Member States, whose population in 2018, was estimated to be at 345.2 million, a rise from 336.9 million as of 2017. Rivers play a pivotal role in the region's socio-economic development, as evidenced by its reliance on these waterways. Southern Africa boasts of 15 major transboundary river basins, shared among neighbouring countries, with 13 basins entirely within the region's borders. However, the equitable distribution of water resources remains a challenge, exacerbated by climatic factors influencing rainfall patterns and the geographical distribution of river basins. While these rivers can spark conflicts, they also serve as conduits for peace and cooperation. Therefore, prioritizing transboundary water cooperation is not merely about economic prosperity but also essential for nurturing stability and harmony throughout the region.
The health of the world’s rivers and oceans is interconnected and critically threatened. There is an urgent need for more meaningful action across the source-to-sea continuum.
GWP-WA in collaboration with the WAEMU Commission, the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Sanitation of Burkina Faso, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burkina Faso, Pôle Eau Dakar, the Secretariat of the Water Convention, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-DHI Centre on Water and the Environment and partners, is involved in a regional forum on the theme: "Capitalization and scaling up of IWRM best practices for water security and population resilience in the WAEMU Space" from November 28 to 30, 2023 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
