Search

Partners of the Global Framework for Action to Cope with Water Scarcity in Agriculture in a Changing Climate (the Global Framework) met in Rome, Italy, on 19-20 April. This was the first meeting since the initiative was launched last year. A statement was issued to demonstrate commitment to address water scarcity in agriculture. As a Partner, GWP participated and was also confirmed as a member of an interim Steering Committee.

The cornerstone of GWP China is to be a knowledge sharing network. It was pioneered by GWP China Regional, Provincial and River Basin Partnerships and also fully supported by GWPO and the GWP Technical Committee, a group of internationally recognized professionals and scientists who are at the forefront of proposing actions that promote sustainable water resources management.

GWP Eastern Africa was constituted in 2003 by stakeholders to support the sustainable development and management of water resources at all levels in the region. It focuses on achieving the vision, mission and strategic goals of GWP global through approved workplans and budgets. It is based in Entebbe, Uganda.

 

One of GWPEA key partners to convey its messages and reach out to various stakeholders is the media. GWPEA values its crucial role and is constantly engaged in media relation initiatives, building the capacity of media practitioners and journalists to pick interest in water and climate change reporting so that there is an increase in number and quality of related stories in the media.

 

The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) together with the Agriculture Research Council (ARC) held a close-out workshop at Khoroni Metcourt in Venda, South Africa on 26 March 2015. A total of 24 people attended the workshop, the majority of whom were direct beneficiaries of the project, the farmers that implemented the Rain water Harvesting on their fields. Other key representatives were from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the Limpopo Department of Agriculture, the tribal authority from Ha-Lambani .

In Shaanxi Province, groundwater is a critical source of fresh drinking water for the local citizens and also supplying for the irrigated agriculture. Groundwater is also important in sustaining streams, lakes, wetlands and associated ecosystems. In the meantime, climate change affects ground water resources and is closely linked to other global change drivers, including population growth, urbanization and land-use change, coupled with other socio-economic trends.

Coordination and facilitation bodies (CFBs) and instruments play the very important role of articulating and harmonizing the actions and visions of the numerous entities concerned with water management. Whether it is at the international, national, or even regional level, mediators are always needed in dealing with water related issues. Tools under this section can be seen as tying strings for an IWRM strategy and for good water governance to crystalize.

Kalkallo project was the first large scale construction project in Australia attempted to harvest and treat stormwater to a standard acceptable for direct injection into water supply system. Because the project was innovative there was no regulatory framework dictating the rules of the game. That was considered as a barrier to move forward. The project turned out to display a high degree of success in some policy dimensions while a negligible degree in some others.

This article is part of a wider coverage of the “MENA Focus” events, a set of four regional sessions dedicated to the Middle East & North Africa, officially launched at the Stockholm World Water Week 2016, alongside the Regional Days for Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) had been selected and serves as the overall coordinator for these “MENA Focus” events. The sessions were organized in partnership with a number of international regional institutions and organisations. “World Café 2016: Water, Growth, Stability” was the last of the four sessions, held on the 31^st of August.

GWP publishes Perspectives Papers to contribute to discussions on important issues related to water and development. We welcome responses to these occasional papers.