Getting the GWP-CAf ready to successfully end the first period (2014-2016) of its regional strategy, also repositioning it to fit for the second half of the regional strategy and for 2030. Yes. But how? It is to answer this question that the GWP-CAf chair convened an extraordinary Steering Committee meeting. This meeting had as theme: “SDGs: Opportunities for changing and redefining the role and business model for GWP-CAf and the CWPs. It was held on June 30, 2016 in Douala, Cameroon.
The attendees to the meeting were the statutory steering committee members notably, 4 chairs of CWPs; Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Sao Tomé and Principe; the chair of the technical and Scientific Committee; the representatives of ECCAS and of basin organizations: CICOS; the delegates of Civil Society organizations (REFADD) and the players of water sector (SODECA); the GWP-O executive secretary as well as the GWP Southern Africa (GWPSA) executive secretary.
The overall objective of this extraordinary Steering Committee meeting was to reflect upon and propose a roadmap for the choice of the new host institution for GWP-CAf and to examine the different options of business model and governance for GWP Secretariat at country level in order to apply them in central Africa region.
Through different presentations on positioning the GWP network to fit for future 2030 and its implications as well as on the experience of governance and funding of GWP Southern Africa, the members of steering committee understood that the GWP network needed a double reforms
An internal change that will take into account the improvement of four domains (strengthening the country level; improving sustainability of financing; improving corporate knowledge management and learning and increasing Institutional performance) while external change will cope with a new global water institutional architecture.
The south-south initiative (GWPSA and GWP-CAf) based on experience sharing between regions permitted participants to go through the CWP governance, accreditation process and different managing options for CWP.
Participation in feed the Future meeting
On 23rd June 2016, the project Manager and Intern of WACDEP Ghana participated in the Feed the Future meeting organised by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The meeting was held on at the conference room of the institute. The main purpose of the meeting was to share lessons emerging from project implementation and to seek stakeholder inputs towards streamlining perspectives for improved project performance. In all, twenty (20) participants selected from civil society, government institutions, ministries and nongovernmental organisations.
Many Studies to be carried early 2016 Terms of References (ToRs) were developed and launched in all the three countries for biding. Some offers have already been received and each CWP as well as the regional coordination are following closely.
The project has also requested from each country to submit a proposal of pilot project to be carried in the framework of the Mekrou. Proposals have been received from Burkina, Niger and Benin is still to submit.
The Executive Secretary of GWP, Rudolph Cleveringa, says that GWP as a network needs to change: “We can’t use the same agenda as we did 20 years ago”. Approaching World Water Day 2016, Cleveringa takes a moment to reflect on GWP’s 20 years in the water world and talks about his vision on how to make the network fit for the future – local inclusion and diversity are words he uses to make his point.
Márton Czikkely, Tamás Gergely Iványi and Tamás Márkus from Városmajori Grammar School won Hungarian Final of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize on 30 May 2015 with a project "The Secrets of Drinking Water".
GWPSA is delighted to observe International Women's Day this year under the theme “Pledge for Parity” by highlighting the achievements of some of the women in the network that have put gender parity on their agendas. [Mrs. Bogadi Theresa Mathangwane (Botswana); Prof. Celine Sikulisimwa (Democratic Republic of Congo); Ms. Suzana Saranga Loforte (Mozambique); Ms Maria Amakali (Namibia); Dr. Manta Devi Nowbuth (Mauritius);
Ms Nompumelelo Ntshalintshali (Swaziland).
Our interviewed speakers are exceptional women who have made their careers in water, from the government and academia arenas, and in many regards influenced policy. We hope that they will inspire you to reflect on the role that women working in the water sector can play. These women demonstrate their “Pledge for Parity” by taking concrete action as champions to help accelerate gender parity.
Read what they say about acknowledging their responsibility to do what they can to drive progress towards parity. Yet let us also be mindful that progress has slowed down in many places across the world, so urgent action in the water sector is needed to accelerate gender parity.