GWP-WA and IUCN / PACO Media capacity building Workshop: natural and human imbalances impact on sustainable development in mining areas
Mining in West Africa while contributing to economic and social development of the countries, disrupts the natural and human balance raising questions about the risk it poses to the future life of communities living near mining sites. This is the observation made by a group of journalists from West and central Africa participing in a subregional media capacity building workshop , co-organized by the West and Central Africa Programme of the IUCN (IUCN / PACO) and the Global Water Partnership for West Africa (GWP / WA). The meeting held from 1 to 5 October 2012 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on the theme "Mining and the Protection of environment and natural resources in West Africa.
GWP-SEA further actions to the global event started with joining in Korean Water Forum.
GWP–SEA Steering Committee met Korea Water Forum in Discovery Suite, Manila,on 12 March 2013, to receive a briefing regarding the program of the 7th World Water Forum which will be held in Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea in 2015, and discuss possible areas for playing roles in this important global event.
GWP Chair, Ms. Ursula Schaefer Preuss and the Chair of GWP TEC, Dr. Muhammed Ait Kadi, attended the meeting shortly.
“Although water is central to development, its value is often overlooked. It is thus essential that this national consultation helps to ensure that water is properly reflected in any post-2015 agenda. Moreover water is tied to most development themes – such as food, health, energy. So it is essential to recognize the obvious linkages with these other thematic consultations”
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.
Costa Rica is one of three countries chosen to participate in a pilot project financed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the improvement on water availability. GWP Costa Rica was a key partner in the coordination of 14 regional and sectorial workshops. The input from the process was important for the elaboration of the final document, which was launched at a formal event in San José, Costa Rica on October 31, 2013.
The Kumbo water supply system has always had contested ownership claims. After decades of protest, action was taken and management was transferred to Kumbo Urban Council, resulting in the establishment of an inclusive and participatory community water governance structure. From this, the lesson can be learnt that the command and control paradigm can provoke social and political instability. The case also demonstrates how community based platforms can enhance community mobilisation and participatory governance.
As part of GWP’s continuous efforts to minimise the impacts and the carbon footprint of GWPO, the organisation has decided to support wind energy projects in India.
Global institutions are still in the learning phase when it comes to successfully managing water and energy in an integrated manner as part of the quest for sustainable development. According to World Bank official Daryl Fields, understanding the water-energy nexus is critical for addressing growth and human development, urbanisation and climate change, but many policy-makers are finding it challenging to transform this concept into a reality. Fields, who is also a Technical Committee member of the Global Water Partnership, was speaking at a recent meeting of the GWP Consulting Partners, held in Trinidad for the first time.
On 27-28 May 2014 in Almaty, Kazakhstan there was held the Regional Conference "Prospects of water resources management in Central Asia: From the river basin approach to regional cooperation".