GWP’s WACDEP Capacity Development Programme held the second workshop in Maputo, Mozambique from the 26th- 29th August, 2014 on ‘Economics of Adaptation, Water Security and Climate Resilient Development in Africa’. The workshop is one of the workshops in a series of five national workshops under the “GWP/UNDP-GEF joint Capacity Development Programme on the Economics of Adaptation, Water Security and Climate Resilient Development in Africa”.
The GWP SA Young Professional Development Programme is part of GWPs role in integrating youth in its strategy. As part of GWP SA’s commitment, three young water professionals were recruited between the months of July – August 2014. This effort comes in support of the GWP strategy that aims to increase the involvement of young people as essential partners in GWP’s network to strengthen their awareness and develop their skills in working towards a sustainable future in fields related to water management and development.
GWP SA is working closely with a number of partners namely GRID-Arendal and RESILIM in the development of an Atlas of the Limpopo River Basin. This initiative is a basin collaboration initiative known as the Limpopo River Basin of Our Changing Environment. An initial conceptualisation workshop was held by the partners on the 18th-19th August, 2014 at Cresta Churchill in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The workshop brought together 33 participants to share experiences and understand the environmental changes that have occurred in the Limpopo River Basin and conceptualise the development of an Atlas.
The Expert Task force of the joint GWP/OECD project Global Dialogue has presented initial results of their research into the connection between water security and economic development. Speaking of their preliminary findings at Stockholm World Water Week, Professor David Grey highlighted variability as key in determining the economic impact of water security.
Global Water Partnership – Southern Africa (GWP-SAf) hosted the 6th Water, Climate and Development Programme for Africa (WACDEP) Technical Coordination Workshop. The workshop took place in Harare, Zimbabwe from 15th – 19th September 2014.
“Mission Water”, the Non Conventional Water Resources Programme in Cyprus, was initiated in 2013 by the Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean (GWP-Med), in partnership with the Coca-Cola Foundation and Lanitis Bros (Coca-Cola bottler in Cyprus). The Programme’s activities are implemented in collaboration with the Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus and the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE). The Programme is funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation through a two-year grant (2013-2015) of 400,000 US dollars.
The new GWP Gender Strategy was formally launched at a well-attended event at Stockholm World Water Week 2014 on 3 September. On the same day GWP added to its strategic allies by signing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the French Water Partnership, the European Water Partnership and UNESCO-IHE.
An Expert Task Force of the joint GWP/OECD project “Global Dialogue on Water Security and Sustainable Growth” has presented provisional results of research into the economics of water security. Although still a work in progress, some striking patterns stand out, and the experts believe this could be a game changer in the quest for a dedicated water goal in the post-2015 development agenda, as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be decided upon.
AMCOW Executive Secretary Bai Mass Taal delivered a statement from Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia and Patron of Global Water Partnership, at the opening ceremony of World Water Week 2014: