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August 28, 2012

The Global Water Partnership (GWP) Sponsoring Partners announced today the appointment of Dr. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss as its new Chair, effective January 1, 2013. Dr. Schaefer-Preuss’ latest assignment was as Vice President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development. She was responsible for ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department and Economics and Research Department (Office of the Chief Economist).

The Circle of Mediterranean Parliamentarians for Sustainable Development (COMPSUD) was created with the encouragement of the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE) and the Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean (GWP Med) in December 2002 in the wake of the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), which reaffirmed sustainable development as a central element of the international agenda and emphasized the important role of partnerships and dialogue among the various stakeholders and decision makers, including Parliamentarians and politicians at large.

Changing the behaviour of water users towards more sustainable practices is a necessary step in achieving water security. One way to promote such change is through economic instruments. Economic incentives involve the use of prices and other market-based measures to improve the way water is managed and used. They provide incentives to water users to use water carefully, efficiently, and in a manner consistent with the public interest. They have both positive and negative effects, rewarding users that recognise the true value of water and penalising profligate and anti-social use.

The Second Water Sustainability Summit was held 27 September 2012 in Chile and gathered more than 900 people. It brought together national key players and international experts to discuss actions towards national water sustainability.

In May, GWP Cambodia launched a report on river basin management in Asia together with the Asia Development Bank (ADB) and the Cambodia National Mekong Committee, outlining results from a 4-year programme, including an investment roadmap for water and related development. The report, which will serve as a case study for the application of IWRM in Cambodia, is available in Khmer or English and can be ordered on the GWP Cambodia website.

In response to country requests, GWP Mediterranean has carried out a regional review of IWRM plans and strategies. 

New York: Greece has this month become the 21^st country to ratify a global water treaty designed to reduce conflict and guide joint management over rivers and lakes forming or crossing international boundaries.

Currently, water resources management in irrigation and drought, flood management are effecting greatly by climate change.  Learning and disseminating of related information systematically will help facilitate the adjustment of water resources management of responsible agencies in time and responsive to the changing situation.  Evidences from climate change on watershed ecosystem are obvious and diversified, for example, irrigated water insufficiency, disasters from floods, landslide, and drought.  Data and information about these are available with consulting firms or line agencies.  To be more effective in dealing with these problems, local stakeholders and the RBC should have sufficient knowledge to fully and equally participate in the process.  Thus the RBC and local stakeholders’ capacity will be strengthened in monitoring of the IWRM, especially in the critical river basins. 

On July 26-27, 2010, GWP China Shaanxi organized the Dialogue on Groundwater Development and Utilization.

GWP CEE publishes technical publications related to different aspects of integrated water resources management.