Following up to the International Roundtable on Transboundary Water Resources Management in the Southern Mediterranean and responding to the request expressed in June 2013 by the Arab Ministerial Water Council, the Workshop “Legal frameworks for cooperation on transboundary waters – Key aspects and opportunities for the Arab countries” took place in Tunis, Tunisia, on 11 and 12 June 2014.
Building water security for development in a changing climate through the implementation of the Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP), is an initiative of the Global Water Partnership (GWP).
Within the framework of the Water, Climate and Development Programme, GWP South America is guiding a pilot initiative to put in practice transectoral cooperation to generate resilience to climate change and water security in the Santa Eulalia sub-basin in Peru.
The United Nations World Water Day is set for 22 March 2014. This year’s theme is Water and Energy.
The Bodrog River Basin is exposed to severe flooding caused by jumbled urbanisation and low connectivity between land (agriculture and forestry), urban and water planning. Management is made more complex by the transboundary nature of the basin. A project was, however initiated to strengthen cooperative management and to mitigate consequences of floods through achieving consistent and holistic management of flood risk in three basin countries. This case illustrates the importance of transboundary flood 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.
The EU Water Framework Directive requires all EU member states to achieve satisfactory water quality of all waters by 2015. Although each country is individually responsible, cooperation over transnational water resources is required. In the Körös/Crisuri river basin, a project was initiated using the expertise and experience of Hungary and Romania, involving all key stakeholders. The key lesson is the importance of public participation.
Water security in many urban areas is under threat due to the stresses of population growth, urbanisation, water pollution, the over-abstraction of groundwater, water-related disasters, and climate change. Current planning and management have proven insufficient to address the challenges of water security. There is a need for a paradigm shift, which was introduced during a GWP workshop attended by more than 200 participants at Asia Water Week on 13 March in Manila, Philippines.
The GWP SA Consulting Partner’s (CP) meeting was held in Harare, Zimbabwe from 12-14 June 2013. The Consulting Partners Meeting is held every two years with the aim of engaging partners in discussions relating to network strengthening. Comprising a total of fifty participants, The CP meeting constituted GWPSA staff, 2 representatives from GWPSA’s Country Water Partnerships (CWPs), namely from ten countries: Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; Members from GWPSA Steering Committee, and Regional Technical Committee; and representatives from GWPSA’s implementing partners were present on behalf of their agencies. These included CAPNET, and Chemonics and the Climate Resilient Infrastructure Development Facility (CRIDF).
GWP’s Water, Climate, and Development Programme has been formally introduced in Central America. Launch events have taken place in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, and there will be events in Guatemala and El Salvador by the end of October.