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The Water, Climate and Development Programme in South America has been developed to support the integration of water security and adaptation to climate change into development planning processes and investment, promoting Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as a key strategy.

Based on country studies on Local Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (LIKSP) and how they contribute to enhancing climate resilience in each of the 14 countries in the SADC region, Qandelihle Simelane (regional consultant of LIKSP studies) gave a regional summation from country studies undertaken in the region during the 6^th SADC River Basin Organisations (RBOs) Workshop held from the 15^th to the 17^th of October 2014 at Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa under the theme “Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Resilience in Water Related Disasters.”

 

A media training targeting local journalists who report on environmental, water and climate change issues was undertaken at Rainbow Towers in Harare, Zimbabwe on the 17^th of March 2015. The media training forms part of the programme on the SADC Water Weeks which will be held in each of the 15 SADC member states spearheaded by the SADC Water Sector under the auspices of the Infrastructure and Services Directorate. The National Water Weeks, running under the theme “From Vision to Action” are supporting SADC to have a platform in interacting with member states on water resources management strategic issues. The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP SA) is playing a role in providing support in undertaking this initiative. GWPSA has partnered with the Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa in conducting the media trainings.

 

The 2012 World Water Week takes place on 26-31 August 2012 in Stockholm, Sweden. This year's theme is "Water and Food Security".

The “Financing of sustainable water resources management and development: economics, financing opportunities and project preparation” is the focus of high-level regional training and knowledge exchange in Pretoria, South Africa from the 21st -24th July 2014. 27 Delegates from African countries and River Basin Organisations working in the water sector are meeting to increase their knowledge and skills, to attract investors and financial development partners for both water governance and water infrastructure development.

Water is a source of conflict around the Berki River Basin in Ethiopia, predominantly a consequence of a lack of IWRM awareness and an institutional framework. Action was taken to implement an IWRM pilot project to account for different stakeholder interests, resulting in the development and adoption of the Berki Basin IWRM. Key lessons drawn from the project include the importance of capacity building, consensus building, and the importance of decentralised multi-stakeholder platforms for conflict management. 

A press event was held at the Athalassa Center for Environmental Education on December 2^nd, 2014 to mark the conclusion of the first phase of implementation works for the installation of new and the reinstatement of existing greywater reuse and rainwater harvesting systems at public schools and centres of environmental education.

Global Water Partnership’s (GWP) side event on ‘County Support for Water Security and Agriculture in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Climate Finance’ was organized during the 2nd week of the UN Climate Change Conference (SB 42) in Bonn, Germany.