On March, 21, 2014, around 50 participants, including representatives of the diplomatic corps and representatives of the UN agencies Beijing Offices and private sectors, attended a seminar organized by the China Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) China Office in Beijing.
Complex environmental, social, economic and political structures make the Nile hard to manage. The Nile basin states have, because of these issues, collectively recognised the need to protect, manage and utilize the Nile basin in an integrated sustainable manner through a close co-operation. Action was taken and the Nile basin states formed the Nile Basin Initiative. This illustrate the opportunities created by multidisciplinary networks to solve complex environmental problems, stemming from their broad platform.
The Volta River basin remained one of the few unregulated transboundary watercourses in Africa. Action was taken to improve water governance and water management practices. Although this is still in progress, it has resulted in multi-scale participatory governance frameworks for joint management. From this process, it is evident that building a local knowledge base with good data and information systems is important in deciding the most efficient allocation of resources.
Groundwater depletion is a serious issue in India. The government has approached the issue of declining groundwater levels largely through regulatory means. For the policy to be successful, it is crucial that users understand groundwater occurrence, cycle, and limited availability. Much effort has thus been placed on engaging farmers and communities. This case study demonstrates the importance to work with capacity building and social mobilization rather than physical solutions.
The city of Jabalpur experienced water shortages. Action was taken through a scheme, which would augment the water supply to the city, by substantially increasing funding. The key lesson is how an empowered local body can respond to water challenges in a successful manner.
The fourth and final workshop within the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) was held on 21-22 April 2015 in Bucharest, Romania.
In 2013 Global Water Partnership (GWP) and World Meteorological organization (WMO) launched a joint Integrated Drought Management Programme to improve monitoring and prevention of one of the world’s greatest natural hazards.