The Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) has embarked on a new and exciting initiative, designed to develop practical and user-friendly tools for climate resilient decision-making, focused on the water sector in the Caribbean. The new initiative will be undertaken as part of the GWP-C Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP) for the Caribbean.
In Costa Rica, action was taken to introduce water pricing to pay for services provided by forests in watershed areas. As a result, Costa Rica’s watershed owners are beginning to be rewarded for providing water, whether for drinking or for generating electricity. The main lesson is that initiatives that ensure local groups are included in the benefits of conservation are needed to involve them in helping to protect the water catchment areas.
Over twenty (20) lecturers and researchers from universities across the Caribbean will meet in Barbados at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus for the first-ever Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Knowledge Management Workshop to be held in the region on June 5th and 6th, 2013.
Unsustainable irrigation policies during the Soviet era have had devastating consequences for the Aral Sea. With the collapse of USSR, the riparian states took action and entered into agreement on Cooperation in the Joint Use and Protection of Water Resources of Interstate Significance. Furthermore, the international community took action and much attention has been devoted to re-establish the Aral Sea ecosystem. This case illustrates the importance of engaging all key stakeholders.
On 19 November 2014 in Seoul (Korea), GWP CACENA Regional Coordinator Vadim Sokolov took part in the 16th Governing Council meeting of Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) and the 2nd meeting for preparing the 7th World Water Forum.
The Regional Workshop "IWRM as a practical approach to Climate Change Adaptation in Caucasus and Central Asia" under support by and in cooperation with SDC was held on 18-19 March 2013 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
GWP and the University of Dundee co-organised a workshop on International Law and Transboundary Freshwaters in Dundee in June. It was the third year of the joint GWP/Dundee Scholarship programme, and this year’s activities were a success, says the organisers.
The Lempa River is shared by Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, making its management a good example of transboundary cooperation. To reach consensus, action was taken to develop a treaty as part of a regional process. However, since the treaty was not accompanied by strategies designed by local actors, it is somewhat weak. Nonetheless, this case illustrates that political willingness is crucial for advancing towards IWRM in transboundary watersheds.
The Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) has lost one of its Founding Fathers, Navin Chanderpal who passed away yesterday ending a long battle with stomach cancer.