Freshwater is under acute pressure from climate change in North Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, COP20 delegates heard on Wednesday. Experts from countries as diverse as Tunisia and Belize urged visionary leadership from politicians to protect natural resources, reports CDKN’s Mairi Dupar from Lima, Peru. The experts from the African Ministerial Council on Water (AMCOW), Global Water Partnership and CARICOM also called for water managers to build on their local innovations for climate resilience – and to get savvier about communicating solutions to policy-makers. The event was an opportunity to learn about common problems and possible solutions across Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, based on a South-South learning project supported by CDKN.
The new GWP Gender Strategy was formally launched at a well-attended event at Stockholm World Water Week 2014 on 3 September. On the same day GWP added to its strategic allies by signing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the French Water Partnership, the European Water Partnership and UNESCO-IHE.
The Water, Climate and Development Programme was re-launched during a session held during the UNFCCC COP21 conference taking place in Paris, France on 1st December, 2015. GWP is responding to the climate change challenge through the Global Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP) which includes a portfolio of programmes and projects aiming to build climate resilience through better water management. The WACDEP in Africa programmes and projects are being implemented on behalf of the African Union and African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), and in collaboration with relevant governments and regional economic development communities.
The Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) is breaking new ground with the development of a comprehensive “Caribbean Regional Framework for Investment in Water Security and Climate Resilient Development.”
In order to support the Municipal Association of Users of natural resources of the Niger Basin of Péhunco (ACU-Péhunco) to implement a micro-project for the mobilization and the integrated management of resources of the Beket reservoir, the community of Beket in the town of Péhunco received a 10-day training session in September 2015 on the construction and use of economic Wanrou stoves. Indeed, this micro-project is in line with the "Shared Vision for the preservation of the Niger Basin ecosystem for its sustainable development" and the "promotion of IWRM in the national portion of Niger Basin" of the WASH-Benin Program.
The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa has been a collaborating partner in the National Adaptation Plan – Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP) process through association with the Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP). NAP-GSP is assisting LDCs to identify technical, institutional and financial needs to integrate climate change adaptation into ongoing medium and long-term national planning and budgeting in Twenty-six least developed countries (LDCs). GWP has joined other NAP-GSP partners in supporting LDCs to advance NAPs through:
The Ghana Country Water Partnership (CWP-Ghana) was represented by the Communications Officer at a one-day seminar under the theme “Our Water, Our Life: Ghana’s Water Resources in Crisis.” This seminar was organised by the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) at the conference room of the Science and Technology Research Institute of the CSIR on 19th April, 2016.
Jharkhand is a new state, established in 2000, to support the rights of indigenous people to have a separate state for themselves. Jharkhand is home to many of the country’s poorest people, despite the city being located in one of the richest areas of India in terms of minerals and natural resources. Agriculture, as the sole economic activity in the area, has not been properly developed (e.g. water facilities are poor and access to upgraded and modern agriculture-based knowledge is limited) and the land is prone to severe droughts, marked only by erratic rainfalls. Therefore, starvation and malnutrition of its citizens is widespread.
Malaysian Water Partnership, in collaboration with the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia (DID), conducted the Stakeholder Forum for Incorporating Climate Resilience in the National Water Resources Policy Action Plans on the 27th and 28th of October 2014. This activity was a response to the launch of Malaysia’s National Water Resources Policy on 24 March 2012 which recognized climate change as an important issue to be addressed in the policy formulation. This forum was attended by 90 people from 40 institutions.
The UN-Water annual Zaragoza Conference serves as preparation for the annual World Water Day. GWP representatives participated in several of the sessions.