On 8 March 2015, GWP celebrates International Women’s Day by advocating for a #watergoal, which would mean major improvements in living conditions for women worldwide. GWP Chair Ursula Schaefer-Preuss points out that there is a close connection between women and water.
Around the world, World Water Day 2014 was celebrated by many, with activities connected to the theme of water and energy. GWP launched a new video, as well as a new Strategy, Towards 2020, in connection with World Water Day, and the day was celebrated across the GWP regions.
GWP SA (through GWPO), has now been engaged by UN Water to organize post 2015 national consultations on water between February and end of March 2014. The consultations have been held in three countries – Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. This process is facilitated by GWPO through its regional and country networks - UN Water having given GWP this role because of GWP’s stakeholder platforms across the world.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are deemed to be some of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. This is in part attributed to sea-level rise, coupled with the small size of these territories amidst growing populations and other development challenges. Of these development challenges, achieving water security remains an enduring issue which will only be further exacerbated by the threat of climate change.
On March 31st 2014, the Costa Rican Congress passed the new Water Law. For over a decade the Central American countries have been working on reforming their water legislative and institutional frameworks, and one of the pioneers in this process has been Costa Rica.
In the past months GWP Central America has undertaken various activities to continue promoting the water goal which is set to be part of the post-2015 agenda.
The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) will be offering online courses in GIS for Hydrological Technicians and Flood Hazard Mapping during the months of September and October 2015.
The Regional Secretariat of GWP Eastern Africa assisted with technical and financial support to a meeting in Mogadishu to launch a Somalia Country Water Partnership on 29th January 2014. As a result of the meeting, Somalia is soon set to join GWP by establishing a Country Water Partnership.
JetBlue is offering two (2) scholarships for the recipients to attend as observers, the first-ever “Innovators Think Tank on Climate Change and Coastal Tourism” in the Dominican Republic on July 22nd – 24th, 2015.