The Prut River is subjected to cross border pollution. Action was taken by the Eco-Counselling Center to initiate a project to facilitate a regional, trans-boundary approach, to enable the multi-stakeholders involvement and to ensure transparency and participation on the Draft Prut River Management Plan. This case highlights an applicable approach to improving water policy and management through stakeholder integration and cross-border cooperation.
The United Nations has declared 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation. The 2013 World Water Day, on 22 March 2013, is also dedicated to water cooperation.
The Inception Meeting of the Preparation Phase of the GEF Project “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the Extended Drin River Basin” was organized on the 27th and 28th May 2013 in Tirana, Albania, back to back with the First Meeting of the Parties to Drin Memorandum of Understanding .
Central America is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world with regards to climate change.
GWP Peru has supported the launch of the country’s national water law translated into five indigenous languages. The initiative aims to democratize the information by making it available to rural and indigenous communities so that they can contribute to national water management.
The Meuse and the Scheldt river basins are subjected to pollution and seasonal water shortages, as well as political clash of interests regarding maritime access. Action was taken to solve these issues by the Belgian government. However, although an agreement was eventually made, political issues made the process complex. From this case, it is apparent that a cross-sectoral approach that looks beyond the water sector is often instrumental in developing attractive package deals.
In Turkey, operations and maintenance for irrigation systems was highly centralised, but this imposed an increasing institutional and financial burden on the government. Action has consequently been taken to transfer irrigation management to Water User Associations. The key insight from this case is that legal reforms should accompany institutional changes to enable full benefits to be gained.
For centuries the Upper Guadiana Basin has been irrigated with groundwater, resulting in a drop in the water table of more than 20 meters. Actions were taken to address this issue, including regulations restricting aquifer abstraction and economic incentives to encourage farmers to improve irrigation efficiency and plant alternative crops. The key lesson learnt is that surface and underground waters cannot be managed separately.
Public institutions, Civil Society Organizations, Academia, Media and other national stakeholders from Water Sector, Agriculture and Energy discussed about key priority water issues that need to be incorporated in the next development agenda termed as Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).