HRH the Prince of Orange of the Netherlands, and a Patron of the Global Water Partnership (GWP), delivered the GWP Annual Lecture on Friday, August 19, 2011, in celebration of GWP’s fifteenth anniversary.
Deltas, where the river meets the sea, are dynamic and productive systems where people live and have built civilizations for millennia. Throughout the world they host dense populations and are important centers of food production, livelihoods and industry. These confluences of the sweet and the salty waters are of great ecological significance, featuring wetlands of high and unique biodiversity. Wise management of deltas is crucial for the integrity of ecosystems, economic well being and poverty alleviation.
The “Status Report on the Application of Integrated Approaches to Water Resources Management” was launched by UN-Water on 19 June 2012 at Rio+20 with GWP Chair Dr Letitia A Obeng as one of the panelists. This Status Report, prepared by UNEP in collaboration with UNDP and GWP, is one of the official UN reports to the Rio+20 conference, and is based on a survey of countries carried out in 2011. GWP facilitated the completion of level 1 and 2 surveys through the Regional and Country Water Partnerships, and is very proud to have been a partner in this endeavour.
Dr. Ania Grobicki, GWP Executive Secretary, speaking at a World Water Day press conference at the United Nations in New York, called on governments to recommit to IWRM and Water Efficiency Plans at the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012. Governments agreed to such Plans in Johannesburg, South Africa, known as the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2002).
The GWP SEA 24th SC Meeting was held in Phnom Penh-Cambodia, on 10-11 April 2012.
The Global Water Partnership (GWP) Sponsoring Partners announced the appointment of Prof Lučka Bogataj among 5 new members for the GWP Steering Committee on 28 August.
Team Experts from Rwanda and Burundi discussed water and climate adaptation and resilience issues in the drier Nile Basin, specifically around Lake Cyohaha trans-boundary water of Bugesera region for the two East African countries.
The International Roundtable on Protection and Sustainable Use of Transboundary Waters in Southeastern Europe was held on the 15th and 16th of December 2011 in Zagreb, Croatia.
A River Basin Management Plan of the Sava river basin is under development, the first attempt in the Southern European region to draft a River Basin Management Plan according to the EU Water Framework Directive. GWP Mediterranean and GWP Central and Eastern Europe have significantly contributed to the stakeholder involvement process related to development of the Plan.
The Gambia officially launched a new Country Water Partnership (CWP) in 2011, joining the other 12 West African CWPs that have been formed since the beginning of GWP's activities in West Africa. Now, all countries in the region except Liberia and Sierra Leone have set up a CWP.