The 1st Regional Conference of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) labelled project Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector was organised on 28-30 October 2014, in Athens, Greece, by the Global Water Partnership- Mediterranean (GWP-Med), in close collaboration with the EU funded Sustainable Water Integrated Management-Support Mechanism (SWIM-SM) project. It convened more than 110 decision makers; representatives of government; civil society; the private sector; international organisations; donors and financing institutions.
A three-day (3-5 August) Africa wide Training on International Water Law (IWL) for improved transboundary water management in Africa has concluded in Entebbe, Uganda. The training attracted 40 participants from 21 countries across the continent; mid- to high-level practitioners from River Basin Organizations (RBOs) and governments.
Over 35 participants from Private Sector across the 11 countries of the Nile Basin Countries consensually that—“Climate Change Adaptation is no longer optional but essential for sustainable livelihoods in Nile Basin Countries.”
The Indus River is a major transboundary river in Asia with nine tributaries. The River is about 2,800km long, with 2,682 km in Pakistan. The Indus drainage basin covers an area of about 1,140,000 km2 stretching from Afghanistan through China, India, and Pakistan. Monsoonal rains are the most important flood-causing factor in the Indus basin, followed by the size, shape, and land-use of the catchments as well as the conveyance capacity of the corresponding streams. The monsoon rains fall from June to September, and are generally intense and widespread.
Thirteen years after it was first launched, GWP’s online database IWRM ToolBox gets a facelift. It is not the first time a change is made, but it is the most radical. The new version, now integrated with the main GWP website, has more features and is easier to navigate.
The Prut River is subjected to cross border pollution. Action was taken by the Eco-Counselling Center to initiate a project to facilitate a regional, trans-boundary approach, to enable the multi-stakeholders involvement and to ensure transparency and participation on the Draft Prut River Management Plan. This case highlights an applicable approach to improving water policy and management through stakeholder integration and cross-border cooperation.
The 2nd High-Level Regional Policy Workshop focusing on “Adapting to Climate Change Induced Water Stress in Nile River Basin,” resolved to bridge the gap between science and policy, enhance the efforts of generating and sharing knowledge about climate change and conducting hotspot analysis at country level.
Water security is under intense pressure in many urban areas, and the very nature of urbanisation contributes to water stress situations both from a quantity and quality perspective. GWP – in collaboration with India Water Partnership and WAPCOS Limited – addresses urban water issues in a daylong workshop on Friday 16 January at India Water Week 2015.
Bangladesh Water Partnership (BWP), in collaboration with the Institute of Microfinance (InM), organised a seminar on 15 November on micro finance in climate change adaptation. The aim was to identify bankable projects and overcome challenges at village level in implementing climate resilience projects.