GWP Chair Dr. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss participated in the Sixth Meeting for High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP) and the Second UN Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters in New York, USA, in November.
The South African Development Community (SADC) in partnership with South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), and the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) hosted the South Africa SADC Water Week which took place from 29-31 July 2015.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day (8 March), Global Water Partnership has interviewed women in the water community across the Network on their journey to become successful in their professions, how to overcome obstacles they face as women, and also recommendations to other women.
A presentation on Gender Mainstreaming in the SADC Water Sector was made during the 6th RBO workshop held on 15-17 October, 2014 at Birchwood Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa. GWP SA has facilitated the organization of the RBO workshops, which are aimed at enhancing and building the ability of the RBOs to prepare, respond and recover from water related impacts (flood and droughts) and build resilience to climate change within the RBOs through all aspects, including gender mainstreaming.
The government of Lao PDR is working very constructively to improve the water resources planning and management system in Lao PDR especially in the formal higher education system.
Through the Lao Water Partnership, Mr. Chanthanet Boualapha, Director General of Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment who acts as chairperson of Lao Water Partnership opened the consultation on mainstreaming the IWRM in the formal higher education system. He expressed on the important of IWRM progress and application in Laos context for a decade as well as capacity building on this field. He also addressed the importance of the strengthening the local capacity in the whole country for IWRM decentralization and human resource development including emphasizing on integration and mainstreaming IWRM /IRBM approach into education system in each level.
On November 30, 1 and 2 December, the CWP Benin held in Parakou, a training session on IWRM and the integration process in the planning tools at local level targeting the elected officials and local stakeholders in the municipalities where WASH-Benin Program makes its interventions. The activity was financially supported of WASH-Benin Programme on the one hand with the technical facilitation of CWP Benin.
One of the key IDMP actions in West Africa is the establishment of the national platforms in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and at regional level. These platforms will be used to discuss issues related to the integrated drought management. In Niger a meeting held on November 5 to set up the national platform on Integrated Drought Management (GIS) in the country. The finalization of the project document for the institutional framework of PGIS Niger was also discussed.
GWP took part in the fith Africa Water Week held in Dakar from 26 to 31 May 2014. There were four sub themes (1. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene : Partnerships, Innovations, and Investements- Post-2015 ; 2. Water Resources Management for Sustainable Development ; 3 : Waste water Management and Water quality ; 4 : Water and Disaster Risk Management) and GWP was one of the lead conveners in Sub themes 2 and 3 and co-conveners in sub theme 4.
In addition to all presentations made, GWP had an exhibition booth which was well visited by participants for documentation. Many GWP Africa regions brought some documentation to add to Global documentation.
The Strengthening Institutions of Transboudary Water in Africa (SITWA), a GWP/ANBO programme hosted by OMVS also invited its partner RBOs who brought some documentation exhibited at GWP booth.
Senegal PM (purple) visits GWP booth in company of AMCOW interim Chair and ANBO Chair
Participants visit GWP booth for documentation
GWP booth receives visitors
A special day session was organized on May 5, 2015 just before the Partners meeting held on 7 and 8 May 2015 in Cotonou, Benin. The session aimed at all the representatives of Country Water Partnerships (CWP) invited for the Assembly of Partners but focused mainly on countries where the three projects are being carried out: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Niger.