“An integrated approach to managing and developing the world’s water resources is vital for not only driving world economies, ensuring human well-being and security from hunger, but can also serve as an essential building block for enhancing coherence on adaptation,” said Dr. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Chair of GWP at a side event at the Bonn climate change negotiations. “Water is the connecting link because climate impacts are largely felt through the medium of water,” she said.
GWP Costa Rica has been invited to participate in a pilot project on the improvement of the availability of water. About 61% of the country’s 4.3 million people are located in urban areas, and while there has been significant progress in the past decade in expanding access to water supply and sanitation, the sector faces key challenges in low sanitation connections, poor service quality, and low cost recovery.
West Africa has ten aquifers and some countries have no other alternative water resources than groundwater.
The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) is an implementing partner for SADC providing programmatic support to the implementation of the RSAP III and is providing support to increasing engagement of stakeholders within the Phase III of the Transboundary Water Resources Management Programme. In the RSAP III, GWP SA is included as an implementing agent in delivering components of the SADC/ GIZ“Mainstreaming Climate Change in the SADC Water Sector”. The programme aims to ensure that more investments are made in the management and development of shared water courses and is being implemented under three work packages, namely:Work Package 1 (WP1) – Increasing and harnessing knowledge for us, Work Package 2 (WP2): Increasing stakeholder involvement; and Work Package 3 (WP3): Increasing Investments.
In this regard, GWPSA is facilitating four studies within the SADC region, under work package 1 – “Increasing and harnessing knowledge for use”, with the following objectives:
As part of the Africa programme on Water, Climate and Development (WACDEP), a Framework for Water Security and Climate Resilient Development is under preparation.
Ambassador of Sweden H. E. Ann Dismorr to Kenya stressed the importance of water resources management as a fundamental pillar of the Green economy.
To stimulate new thinking to improve Sri Lanka’s natural resources management, the first Young Water Professionals Symposium for the country was organized by GWP Sri Lanka in association with IWMI and Unilever on 22-23 November in Colombo with the participation of the Hon Minister of Water Supply and Drainage Dinesh Gunawardene and Prof Mohan Munasinghe, Nobel Peace Prize winner 2007 (IPCC), and over 150 participants.
GWP Nepal and the Water Integrity Network (WIN) has undertaken a project, "Assessment of the Morang Drinking Water Supply Corporation Functionality of the Water Supply Services", to inform service providers and consumers about transparency and accountability in the functioning of the Morang Water Supply System (MWSS). The Morang District is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal covering an area of 1,855 km² with a population of 843,220.
To stimulate new thinking to improve Sri Lanka’s natural resources management, the first Young Water Professionals Symposium for the country was organized by GWP Sri Lanka in association with IWMI and Unilever on 22-23 November in Colombo with the participation of the Hon Minister of Water Supply and Drainage Dinesh Gunawardene and Prof Mohan Munasinghe, Nobel Peace Prize winner 2007 (IPCC), and over 150 participants.