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A national workshop organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the National Council on Environment and Sustainable Development (SP/CONEDD) was held on 27 March 2014 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to validate “the study and mapping of the vulnerability to climate change of water resources in the Nakanbé basin”.

The Lake Ossa complex is faced with unsustainable fishing practices, habitat destruction and deteriorated water quality. These trends have severe negative impact on the livelihoods of people, leading to further unsustainable over-exploitation. To combat these developments, a sustainable livelihood approach has been applied to foster collaboration among stakeholders. From this experience, it is evident that active local NGOs can be vehicles for facilitating dialogue and mobilising different stakeholders. 

In accordance with Protocol of Intentions signed on 20^th December 2013 between the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan and Korean Institute of Construction Technology (KICT) about development of information system for water sector of Uzbekistan, Regional Secretariat of GWP CACENA arranged a working visit of KICT delegation to Uzbekistan during 11-18 May 2014. The delegation included Dr. Kim Hyun Jun, Director of Department in KICT, Dr. Hong Ilpyo, Project Manager and Mr. Lee Joonseok, IT Expert.

In Costa Rica, action was taken to introduce water pricing to pay for services provided by forests in watershed areas. As a result, Costa Rica’s watershed owners are beginning to be rewarded for providing water, whether for drinking or for generating electricity. The main lesson is that initiatives that ensure local groups are included in the benefits of conservation are needed to involve them in helping to protect the water catchment areas.

The Round Table “Consultations on Improving Water Resources Management aiming to Water Security in Uzbekistan for 2014-2020” was held on 12 March 2014 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

In Central Asia, water is unevenly distributed with states positioned downstream being placed in a very unfavourable position. The situation is further complicated since the benefits from cooperation are highly asymmetrical. Despite the challenge, the states have taken action and entered into a regional agreement, which attracted the international donor community to engage further. This case illustrates how international initiatives can influence institutional arrangements in transboundary basins.   

The 2014 Global Water Partnership (GWP) Consulting Partners Meeting which was held on June 27^th and 28^th, 2014 in Trinidad closed with an Annual Lecture entitled “Climate and Water: Global to Local Caribbean Socio-Economic Climate Change Scenarios” which was delivered by Professor John B.R. Agard.

GWP-WA has implemented and developed a number of programs with the support of Global Water Partnership (GWP) and other technical and financial partners.

According to the Dublin Water Principles, (1) water resources are to be firmly brought under the State’s function of clarifying and maintaining a system of property rights, and (2) through the principle of participatory management, the State asserts the relevance of meaningful decentralization at the lowest appropriate level. In other words, regulatory and compliance powers have, on the one hand, the responsibility to establish policies and regulations in relation to physical water resources, but on the other hand, also need to articulate how the people and institutions are in fact managing these natural resources.