“Media is our strategic partner—without it, we expect low levels of awareness, and slow change in water unfriendly practices and policies-”
The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP SA) partnered with UNDP to follow up with a set of national dialogues on water. The water dialogues form part of the 11 thematic consultations now underway by the United Nations (UN) in preparation for developing Sustainable Development Goals (SD) in 2015. GWPSA engaged stakeholders from three countries to organise consultations during the months of February – April 2013. These are South Africa, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
Scientific and estuarine research on the Chesapeake Bay pinpointed several areas that required attention including nutrient over-enrichment, dwindling underwater Bay grasses, and toxic pollution. Action was taken and the Chesapeake Bay Commission was established to address the issues. This case illustrates how the use of modelling can be a cost-effective tool in helping to implement watershed restoration actions and monitor goals set by stakeholders.
The Upper Guadiana Basin provides a classic example of conflict caused by the intensive use of water resources in a semiarid region. Since the 1960s, uncontrolled abstraction of groundwater to provide water for crop irrigation in the area has lowered the water table in places by up to 50m, causing the main river channels to run dry and some wetlands to become desiccated. On the other hand, the abstraction has also supported a booming agricultural economy.
The GWP Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP) guided and inspired a National Dialogue between the Burundi Ministry of Water, Environment, Land Management and Urbanism (MEATU) and citizens over the sustainable management of the Cohoha Water Catchment in December 2013.
GWP was one of the organizing partners of the Gender, Water & Development Conference held in East London from 3-7 November, 2014. The conference, hosted by the Department of Water and Sanitation, Water Research Commission, African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), Women for Water Partnership and others, attracted over 430 participants from 36 countries. Dr. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss and Dr. Ania Grobicki, GWPs Chairperson and Executive Secretary respectively, both attended the conference and gave presentations on GWP’s commitment to gender mainstreaming.
GWP Hungary organized for the 5th time the national final of the Danube Box competition on 19 May in Budapest. The competition was hosted as each year by the Geological Institute of Hungary.
The Mongolian Water Partnership (MWP) has formally decided to apply for GWP membership and create a Country Water Partnership on the national level, and to join the GWP Central Asia and Caucasus region (CACENA).