"The Mékrou Project, which will test and correct our various national tools for integrated management of water resources is a vast field of institutional, technical and technological innovations and scientific research in order to better understand the resource and establish a real sustainable plan for its use." It is in these terms that the Secretary General of the Ministry of Water, Water Facilities and Sanitation of Burkina Faso, Mr. Ali TRAORÉ, spoke at the official launch of the project. He expressed himself on behalf of the Honourable Minister and noted the importance of the new project on March 18, 2014 in Ouagadougou.
The constitutive texts for the establishment of the Mono River Basin Authority (MBA) have been approved by the two countries (Benin and Togo) after a meeting of Ministers on July 4th, 2014 in Cotonou. The meeting of Ministers was preceded by a meeting of experts on 2 and 3 July 2014 to analyze documents that were approved by Ministers.
Representatives of GWP Kenya and GWP Ethiopia recently carried out an exchange visit to share experiences on water resources management practices.
GWP Executive Secretary Dr. Ania Grobicki moderated a debate on water and sanitation at the UN General Assembly in New York on 18 February 2014. After the debate was over, Dr. Grobicki said that a global water goal is far from being a done deal.
The GWP’s annual Consulting Partners Meeting and the Regional Days were held from 26 August to 1 September 2013 in Stockholm.
Preliminary planned Project Manager’s trip to the pilot sites at the end of 2013 could not be implemented due to various organizational, financial and visa problems. Starting from the first quarter of 2014 the familiarization with the ongoing work on the program pilot sites began in coordination with the national project teams.
GWP South America recently organised the first Latin American workshop on International Waters Law. The initiative is a collaboration with GWP Central America and aims to encourage improved international cooperation on water governance.
A series of 22 country consultations took place from February to May 2013 to address the importance of water to national development.