If you are part of the GWP network, chances are that you have met GWP Head of Network Operations, Jacques Rey. He is coordinating GWP programmes in the global secretariat in Stockholm, and has been involved from the beginning of GWP, way back in 1996. Here he reflects on his history with the network.
GWP Eastern Africa showcased Water, Climate Development Program (WACDEP) in the the 3nd Annual Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-III), which took place in Ethiopia's capital Addis-Ababa from 20-24th October 2013.
The Transboundary Integrated Management Plan for the Buna/Bojana Area (“the Plan”) was presented during a Consultation Meeting on 7 September 2015, in Ulcinj, Montenegro. The Plan was jointly prepared by the Regional Activity Centre for the Priority Actions Programme (PAP/RAC), Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) and UNESCO ‐ International Hydrological Programme (UNESCO-IHP), in the framework of the GEF UNEP/MAP Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean Large Marine Ecosystem (MedPartnership).
GWP was one of the organizing partners of the Gender, Water & Development Conference held in East London from 3-7 November, 2014. The conference, hosted by the Department of Water and Sanitation, Water Research Commission, African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), Women for Water Partnership and others, attracted over 430 participants from 36 countries. Dr. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss and Dr. Ania Grobicki, GWPs Chairperson and Executive Secretary respectively, both attended the conference and gave presentations on GWP’s commitment to gender mainstreaming.
Global Water Partnership (GWP) invites all Partners to its annual GWP Network Meeting on 1 June 2015. This year’s meeting will be held online - GWP Live - broadcast by live stream, with an opportunity to watch a taped version of the event afterwards.
After the USSR was dissolved, Romania has experienced water scarcity for agriculture. The World Bank and USAID are providing loans/funds for irrigation projects and to strengthen water users associations. This case thus illustrates that irrigation subsidies may be needed to support agriculture until farming efficiency improves and returns from the sale of agricultural products can cover costs.
The Inception Meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) supported project “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the extended Drin River Basin” took place in Tirana, on 16 December 2015, at the presence of Mr. Edmond Panariti, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Administration, Mr. Ferid Agani, Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, as well as Mr. Stevo Temelkovski, Deputy Minister of Environment and Physical Planning.
The Ghana Country Water Partnership (CWP-Ghana) supported Mr. Yussif Rahmani (one of the participants in the Media training workshop held in September, 2014) from Quality FM in the Garu Tempane District to host a talk show in the Tampizua I community in the Kusaal language. This was a follow-up to an earlier show held in December 2014 in English at the premises of the radio station where it was recommended to organise one in the local dialect to disseminate widely the information to peasant farmers.
With global change projections pointing to increasing water scarcity and drought in the Mediterranean, which are bound to cause significant environmental and socio-economic impacts, the development of a new management approach for water basins by integrating scientific thinking with sociological considerations seems essential.
TWG 7 Meeting held
The 7th meeting of the WACDEP Technical Working Group (TWG) was held on 28th July, 2015 at the Water Resources Commission (WRC) conference room. The meeting was presided over by Mr. Ben Ampomah, Executive Secretary of WRC. The meeting considered the progress made so far with WACDEP implementation, challenges faced and the way forward to enhance efficiency in the project management. The draft 2015 Semi Annual Report was also discussed and approved during the meeting. Also present at the meeting was the newly appointed Chairman of the GWP-WA Technical Committee, Dr. Yaw Opoku-Ankomah.