The “Financing of sustainable water resources management and development: economics, financing opportunities and project preparation” is the focus of high-level regional training and knowledge exchange in Pretoria, South Africa from the 21st -24th July, 2014. 27 Delegates from African countries and River Basin Organisations working in the water are meeting to increase their knowledge and skills, to attract investors and financial development partners for both water governance and water infrastructure development.
The formulation of Zimbabwe’s National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS) process that began in 2012 finally came to an end on 15th July, 2014 at a multi stakeholder meeting that brought together 62 participants from different Ministries, partner organisations and other relevant departments. A key milestone of this meeting was the adoption of the NCCRS by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate.
The consultation workshop in West Africa on the strategy of the African Network of Basin Organizations (ANBO) was held on 21 and 22 July 2014 in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). It brought together representatives of Transboundary water management organizations, regional institutions, civil society in the region and the government of Burkina Faso.
The National Consultation Dialogues (NCDs) are organised within the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP), which is undertaken by the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Region of the Global Water Partnership (GWP).
"Water and Environment" media award on the theme "Water Security and Climate Resilience of West Africa" was launched on 29 April 2014.
Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP/WA) and the West and Central Africa Programme of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN/PACO) have priced on June 14, 2014 the winners of the first "Water and Environment" media competition.
River Indio’s watershed is the source of water supply for the growing demand in the metropolitan area of Panamá. However, due to extensive human activity and mismanagement the area has been affected by extensive deterioration. Action has been taken to reinforce natural resources restoration and water resources conservation, grounded in government strenthening and integrated management. Important lessons can be drawn from this in terms of IWRM, as it sets a clear example of active participation of the communities and the local authorities.
The Minister of Water and Sanitation, the Hon Nomvula Mokonyane, has confirmed her wholehearted and enthusiastic support for the conference by endorsing the dates 3 – 7 November 2014, and we urge all delegates and prospective delegates in turn to confirm their attendance and participation at the conference to the Secretariat.
Decades of underinvestment led to poor water and wastewater services and low coverage in Manila. Due to this poor service, the government was unable to increase its water tariffs due to customers’ unwillingness to pay. This situation translated into very low cash flows for the government, thus leading again to the issue of underinvestment, which soon turned to a vicious cycle.