Each year, the Global Water Partnership (GWP) holds its Regional Days and Annual Consulting Partners (CP) Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden home of the global Secretariat. The CP Meeting is a consultative approach in which Partners recommend actions to be taken, which is fundamental to the operation of the GWP network, which spans over 3000 partner organisations in more than 180 countries.
Water Security for Development
Water is the key to the world’s ability to cope with climate change. Whether it is food security, poverty reduction, economic growth, energy production or human health – water is the nexus. Climate change is the spoiler. No matter how successful mitigation efforts might be, people will experience the impacts of climate change through water.
GWP is responding to the climate change challenge through the Global Water, Climate and Development Programme that includes a portfolio of programs and projects that aim to build climate resilience through better water management.
Tanzania is facing increasing pressures on its water resources due to a growing agricultural sector and the effects of climate change. In order to ensure environmental and economic sustainability in the face of water scarcity the local communities of Kiroka village, Morogoro, conceived a project to build capacity for climate adaptation through sustainable land and water management. The participatory approach coupled with capacity building and holistic problem solving that also addresses livelihood issues has proven to be an effective method of implementing an IWRM plan that is sustainable and can be readily subscribed to.
GWP is involved in a number of events at this year’s World Water Week in Stockholm. Among the highlights is a joint GWP/OECD Side Event on the “Global Dialogue on Water Security and Sustainable Growth”, where a high level panel will address the water security challenge and present the early results of an Expert Task Force.
On November 19, 2014, Dr. Zhong Lijing from the WRI China visited GWP China Secretariat to discuss the possibility of developing salon series under theme of water dialogue in coming years.
GWP Central America has been working closely with the Regional Committee for Water Resources (CRRH), which is part of the Central American Integration System, to strengthen regional capacity in the monitoring of climate to support decision making, especially related to agriculture, fisheries, water resources management, risk management and food security.
The regional WACDEP team in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), GWP and the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) is working on an initiative to prepare the project for the implementation of integrated flood management and the development of bankable projects, through the Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM), the WACDEP coordination unit.
On 27-28 May 2014 in Almaty, Kazakhstan there was held the Regional Conference "Prospects of water resources management in Central Asia: From the river basin approach to regional cooperation".
Water resources, in particular conventional rural water supply systems/sources are among the first to be impacted by climate variability. Accessibility to portable water in the sudano-sahelian part of Cameroon is a course for concern given that the population relies mainly on springs, wells and boreholes for the supply of potable water in rural areas.