The WACDEP Coordinating Unit, under GWP SA has been working with stakeholders in and the WACDEP Program Managers in Zimbabwe and Mozambique in the preparation of the Reference Group Country Missions scheduled for March 2014. The Reference Group meetings were held from 23-25 March in Mozambique and 26-27 March in Zimbabwe among other things provided opportunities to exchange experiences, lessons, and challenges with the WACDEP team in Mozambique on WACDEP implementation and generate perspectives for enhancing progress in all components of the programme.
GWP has published its Annual Report for 2014, highlighting network achievements across all regions. GWP China and other 12 regional partnerships have the highlights in the report.
The MedPartnership and ClimVar projects held their final meeting on 3-4 November 2015 in Athens, Greece to showcase the results achieved through the activities and demonstration projects implemented over the past five years or so aiming to address the main environmental challenges that Mediterranean marine and coastal ecosystems face.
Uneven geographical distribution, coupled with pressures from rapid population growth, increased urbanization, industrialization and environmental degradation, is a big challenge to the sustainable development of Uganda’s freshwater resources. However, the policy and institutional framework has advanced over the past two decades in Uganda. The policy and legal reform process started with the introduction of the Water Act (1995) and the Uganda Water Action Plan (1995). Other key policies included the National Water Policy (1999) and the Local Government Act (1997, 2000). A key Lesson learnt is that political support matters in achieving success, as does the nature and logic of the political system. In Uganda, political prioritization of water and poverty was central to progress. The depth and longevity of sector reform relies on political support, which can ebb and flow.
The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) and the Tanzania Water Partnership were engaged in a National Multi-Stakeholder – National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Training Workshop from 8-10th July, 2015. The training was held at Stella Maris Hotel, Bagamoyo. The goal of this three day work-shop was to launch Tanzania’s NAP as well as to develop a common understanding of the issues that need to be addressed on the way forward.
GWP China representatives were at the 7th World Water Forum in Korea in April, taking part in many of the events and sessions of the conference. In addition to delegates from the regional secretariat, some experts from GWP China Regional Water Partnerships were actively facilitating the processes.
The Country Water Partnerships invited to take part in the inaugural session of the Steering Committee meeting of GWP met with the Regional Secretariat and the Network Officers in the afternoon of November 25. This was an opportunity to review the latest version of the GWP 2014-2019 Strategy and GWP West Africa 2014-2016 Work Programme as well as initiatives and opportunities that may be of some interest to CWPs.
The four-day 2015, from March 25 to 29, BOAO Forum for Asia (BFA) was held in the scenic town in Hainan Province with the theme of "Asia's New Future: Toward a Community of Common Destiny". This is the first top-level multilateral forum in China after the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference held earlier in March.