Over thirty (30) representatives from key regional and international water and finance institutions will meet in Barbados on April 9th and 10th, 2015 to help steer a new Caribbean Climate-Proofing Water Investment initiative spearheaded by the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) under its Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP) executed in collaboration with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).
Some 40 key stakeholders from the government; private companies and banks; research institutes and Academia; media as well as the Civil Society discussed and contributed to the final draft of the Report ‘Governance in Palestine: Sector Reform to include Private Sector Participation’, during the Third Consultation Workshop of the Palestinian Water Policy Dialogue. The workshop was organised by the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med), within the Union for the Mediterranean project Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector and under the patronage of H.E. Mazen Ghuneim, Chairman of the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), in Ramallah, on 16 June 2015.
The Upper Tisza basin requires international cooperation for its management, recognised through bilateral agreements. To further improve management, action was taken to develop a complex joint flood and water management development plan. This project is being implemented in several stages, ranging from elaboration of methods, description of ecological status to the establishment of environmental objectives to improve the current status. The key lesson is the value of bilateral effort in water management.
Like many regions across the world, Central Asia is seeking ways of making the best use of limited water resources, and integrated water resources management (IWRM) is seen as the means of achieving this. A new Technical Focus Paper provides a critical review of progress made.
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 17th 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 Cercle Elais Hotel in the Commune of Gombe in Kinshasa, DRC was a hive of the SADC Water week activities that ran from the 27th - 29th of April, 2015. This highly anticipated event was perceived as a big water celebration and brought together national stakeholders from a variety of sectors including civil societies, academic institutions and consumer associations. The programme started with the journalists training which was coupled with the youth forum in an attempt to provide the media practitioners with topic ideas on the challenges and realities faced by the young water professionals. The youth aged from 15 to 35 years old were representatives of various students associations, youth organisations and private companies.
The first West African Sub Regional Water Integrity Capacity-Building Workshop for Ghana and Sierra Leone was held at the Mirage Royale Hotel, East Legon, Accra, Ghana from 08th to 12th April 2013 was successful as it trained 29 participants on water integrity.
The Goascoran River basin is shared by Honduras and El Salvador and is of great environmental, economical and geopolitical importance. In 2006, action was taken to create a multi-sector instance to integrate, influence and coordinate sustainable management of the shared basin. This experience is of great value for IWRM, as the management group establishes a model of work for transboundary management.
During the month of September, Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) through the support of its partner, the National Water and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA) of Grenada presented the winner of the 2013 GWP-C Media Awards on Water, Mr. Milton Coy with his winning prize.