Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Centre and GWP Ukraine organized National Dialogue on Drought Management on 10 December 2013 in Kiev.
In response to the drought and water shortage in the north of Chile, in 2012 several proposals were put forward to carry water from the central-south zone to the northern zone. Two projects, one French and the other Spanish, propose carrying water through the sea and across the land respectively.
International water cooperation is essential. This was one of the key messages that Ambassador Robert F. Van Lierop delivered in his keynote speech at the GWP Consulting Partners Meeting in Stockholm. He made it clear that climate adaptation issues affect the entire world.
The development of hydropower in the Mekong River basin can bring great economic opportunities for Laos. However, since this basin is shared with neighbouring countries, cooperation is crucial. Action was taken and the Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin was signed to coordinate the use of these resources for economic development. For Laos, this has been crucial to their success in regards to the MDGs.
Australia implemented a series of reforms to the water sector in the State of Queensland, including the use of a ‘whole of river basin’ strategic plan approach within which local resource operation plans are prepared and implemented. The key lesson learnt is that an incremental approach, with water planning developing in “bite-sized chunks” allowed government to be flexible in response to changing circumstances.
Water management in Kazakhstan was previously characterised by a command and control approach. The Water Code was adopted in 2003 as an answer to these problems. Furthermore, a project was launched to evaluate the current state of the legal framework for IWRM and to identify the potential for improvements and propose amendments to the Water Code. It is evident that IWRM is a complex approach and any amendments need to be done holistically.
One of the prerequisites to successful water resources management plans is the need for them to be gender sensitive. This point was emphasized at the Rio+20 Side Event: “Dublin Rio Principles: Where do we stand, what lessons learned “ on 18 June 2012, with Hon Rejoice Mabudafhasi, Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, South Africa and Chair of the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment, as Chair of the panel.
The Swaziland Country Water Partnership (SZCWP) was launched in 2004 to support the IWRM Plan development (2008) and more generally to provide a platform for stakeholder driven water management.
GWP SA, on behalf of SADC is currently making preparations for the forthcoming SADC Water Weeks which have been slated from April – October 2014. The SADC Water Weeks are aimed at ensuring that the Regional Water Programme is well understood and embraced by stakeholders from various sectors at the national level. The SADC Water Weeks were last held in the year 2000 and led to the development of the SADC Water Vision for Water, Life and the Environment