The well-being of people all over the world depends on the various goods and services provided by ecosystems, including food, fuel, construction materials, clean water and air, and protection from natural hazards. Ecosystems, however, are under increasing pressure from unsustainable use of resources and other threats including outright conversion of lands, pollution, expansion of infrastructure and urbanisation.
On Saturday, December 3rd, 2011, the African Ministers Council on Water in conjunction with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Department of Water Affairs South Africa, the Global Water Partnership and Water and Climate Coalition arranged an all-day event on Water, Climate and Development in the River Room at the African Pavilion.
‘Closing the Knowledge Gap: Integrated Water Resources Management for Sustainable Agriculture’ was the theme of an international seminar in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 22-26, 2010, which sought to discuss strategies for developing comprehensive information and knowledge support systems in integrated water management for productive agriculture in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states.
Activities such as horticulture and tourism around the Great Barrier Reef create sediment, nutrient and pesticide runoff, placing increased pressure on the ecosystem. The World Wildlife Fund has taken action, predominantly by raising awareness. The key lesson is how a carefully orchestrated campaign can convince decision-makers of the importance of integrated river basin management as a means of reducing land-based marine pollution.
Oil-shale mining and oil-shale based electricity production has caused serious damage to ground and surface water in the Viru-Peipsi catchment area in Estonia. Action was taken to enhance the protection of the water resources through a project that set out a management plan. The project included data collection, monitoring and capacity building. Due to the success of this project, it can be used as an example for future developments.
On Saturday, December 3rd, 2011, the African Ministers Council on Water in conjunction with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Department of Water Affairs South Africa, the Global Water Partnership and Water and Climate Coalition arranged an all-day event on Water, Climate and Development in the River Room at the African Pavilion.
GWP Hungary is campaigning for World Water Forum 6 Local Authorities’ Process which will highlight their major role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
25-27 November 2008, Shkodra, Albania
The Capacity Building Workshop on “Integrated Water Resources Management, with particular reference to the conditions in the extended Drin River Basin” was co-organised in Skhodra, Albania, 25-27 November 2008by the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med), the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE) and the GEF “Lake Shkoder/Skadar Integrated Ecosystem Management” Project.
Landlocked Hungary is situated within the heart of the Danube Basin. With few exceptions all rivers come from outside the national borders.