A National Consultation on the inclusion of a water specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) in the post 2015 Development Agenda of the United Nations was held on April 24th 2014, in Tunis. It was organized by the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med), under the auspices of the Water Resources Department of the Tunisian Ministry for Agriculture, and the Sustainable Development Department of the State Secretariat for Sustainable Development at the Ministry for Infrastructure, Land Planning and Sustainable Development.
Aquatech India 2014 was held from 6 to 8 May 2014 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi under the auspices of Amsterdam RAI and Inter Ads-Brooks Exhibitions (India) Pvt. Ltd. India Water Partnership (IWP) supported Aquatech 2014 as a technical contributor and knowledge partner.
Water Security for Development
Water is the key to the world’s ability to cope with climate change. Whether it is food security, poverty reduction, economic growth, energy production or human health – water is the nexus. Climate change is the spoiler. No matter how successful mitigation efforts might be, people will experience the impacts of climate change through water.
GWP is responding to the climate change challenge through the Global Water, Climate and Development Programme that includes a portfolio of programs and projects that aim to build climate resilience through better water management.
Kenya organized the national consultations on water for the post-2015 development agenda at the Kenya Institute of Water in Nairobi on 14 March 2014. More than 30 participants from cross sectoral organizations attended the meeting, which was supported by GWP Eastern Africa.
On October 15, 2014, Dr. Li Tao, the Director, and Ms Wang Dan of the China Regional Office of IWA visited GWP China Secretariat and had discussion about cooperation between the two organizations on the Symposium on Water, Energy and Food Nexus scheduled on Nov. 11-13, 2014 in Beijing China.
The district of Tikamgarh has faced severe water scarcity. Action was thus taken to implement concrete measures to restore the water bodies in the surrounding area. Together with relevant stakeholders, the district administration initiated and implemented the project. The key lesson to draw from this case is the need for the participation by all relevant groups.
GWP representatives will be 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 global secretariat, some GWP Regional Water Partnerships are actively facilitating the regional processes.
The Intersectoral roundtable "Country Consultations on Water Speak to post-2015 Agenda" was held on 7 March 2014 in Dushanbe at the Institute of Water Problems, Energy and Environment of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan. The roundtable was organized by CWP-Tajikistan jointly with the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan under support of GWP CACENA.
In the village of Parakar, untreated wastewater contaminated agricultural lands, jeopardised food safety and posed severe health risks. In 2010, the Parakar community supported by partners from the Country Water Partnerships of Armenia initiated and developed a demonstration pilot project for domestic wastewater treatment. Particular attention was given to community involvement. This case illustrates the value of small scale solutions.