The investment potential in wastewater treatment and reuse in Middle East & North Africa (MENA) was discussed at a session organised by the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) during the recent World Water Week in Stockholm (27 August – 1 September 2017). This was part of the “MENA Focus” set of 4 sessions, led by key institutions in the Region.2017 was the 2nd year that a dedicated MENA Regional Focus was part of the World Water Weeks’ programme, alongside the Regional Focus Days for Africa, Asia and Latin America. In addition to the (co) organization of sessions, GWP-Med is coordinating the overall “MENA Focus”.
The Third Asia-Pacific Water Summit (APWS) will take place on 11-12 December in Yangon, Myanmar. The event is jointly organised by the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) under the overarching theme “water security for sustainable development”.
The 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be organised by Fiji and hosted at the headquarters of the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. The 2-week event takes place 6-17 November.
Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP-SA) has entered into a partnership with Water Hygiene Convenience (WHC) to support job creation and SDG implementation on the continent.
Water insecurity costs the global economy roughly US$ 500 billion annually and causes the death and displacement of more people than cyclones, floods and earthquakes combined. In particularly vulnerable economies, a 50% reduction in drought effects could lead to a 20% increase in per capita GDP over a period of 30 years. Therefore, mechanisms to enhance integrated drought management are more critical than ever.
The Global Water Partnership-Nigeria team were in the National Assembly to pay an advocacy visit on the Senate Committee Chairman on Water Resources, Sen. Uballi Shittu and the House Committee Chairman on Water Resources, Hon. Aliyu Pategi. Due to the strategic importance of the meeting, Sen. Uballi Shittu sought the approval of the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawal to be part of the meeting. The advocacy visit is aimed at sensitizing the National Assembly on the activities of GWP and also plead for the accelerated passage of the National Water Resources Bill.
The Gambia Country Water Partnership (GCWP) held a national workshop on monitoring and reporting on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Six (#6) indicator 6.5. The event took place on 29 August 2017 at the Tango Conference hall in Banjul. Target 6.5 reads “Implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate”. The workshop is aimed at facilitating the submission of baseline data on SDG 6.5.1 on the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management.
On Wednesday, 30 August 2017, an awareness and information workshop for civil society, the media and the general public was held in Cotonou on the ECOWAS Directive on the development of hydraulic infrastructures. The workshop was organized by the Benin Country Water Partnership in collaboration with the Ministry in charge of water and the financial support of the IUCN Global Water Initiative (GWI) Project.
On August 30, 2017, GWP China and WRI jointly organized side event of ‘Circular Economy Cities: Transforming China and India's Urban Wastewater’ during the 2017 World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.
With the resumption of activities in Bangui and to facilitate the implementation of WACDEP in the country, the Country Water Partnership of the Central African Republic convene its statutory meetings, the Assembly of Partners and the Steering Committee on 17 August 2017 and 18 August. This CWP was set up in 2008 but remained relatively inactive due to the troubles the country has been facing. A new Steering Committee was put in place, and Mr. YAKENDE Rodrigue Prosper was elected as the new chair.
