On 29 October 2014, GWP Central and Eastern Europe is realeasing a new video at the European River Restoration Conference 2014 to trigger a debate on public participation in water management.
In Carabobo State, the urban and agricultural expansions are the main causes of watershed problems resulting from degradation of forests, deforestation and inadequate solid waste management. Since 2009, action has been taken to combat these developments through participatory public policies which focus on environmental education and sustainable development. The key to the success of the project has been extensive capacity building in combination with concrete management tools.
The first consultation workshop of the Water Policy Dialogue in Palestine, within the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) labelled project Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector was held in close cooperation with the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), on 13 November 2014, in Ramallah. With more than 40 key stakeholders from the government; private companies and banks; research institutes and Academia; media as well as the Civil Society actively participating, the workshop marked the official launch of the Policy Dialogue to be conducted by GWP-Med within the period 2014-2015.
The WACDEP supports Regional Training Workshops for African Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to advance their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and the Regional Training Workshops on Economics of Adaptation, Water Security and Climate Resilience, Early Warning System of the African Union (AU) and the African Ministries Council on Water (AMCOW), the Global Water Partnership (GWP) in collaboration with UNDP-GEF, CDKN and CapNet will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:
The practice known as rainwater harvesting or roof-water harvesting is as old as time and as modern as today — as a new following of people from around the world are choosing to harvest rain to provide for their everyday needs and to help the planet by conserving water.
To implement policy change is a process that takes time. During this time, it is possible that the people involved change, resulting in a loss of knowledge. In Malawi, action was taken to combat institutional memory loss by involving as many high-level decision-makers as possible and by organising awareness raising workshops. This demonstrates that it is possible to avoid the loss of knowledge when key decision and policy-makers change.
In the Danube hydrographic basin, agricultural practices continue to be the main source of water pollution. A pilot project “Best Agricultural Practices” was initiated focusing on e.g. nutrient management, conservation tillage and manure management. Awareness campaigns were initiated, training and education of farmers were emphasised. The key lesson is that these projects should be complimented by other technical and investment measures.
In order to meet new demands, the Jordan Valley Authority was in need for reform. Action was taken to initiate a public strategic planning process led by a steering committee composed of all relevant stakeholders and various working groups. The case consequently illustrates how an integrated strategic planning process can create conditions under which all stakeholders can be involved in the proposed institutional reform.
GWP Romania was the first country to submit a report from their recent national consultation on water in the post-2015 agenda. A total of 29 country consultations are being organised in the first few months of 2014 as part of the GWP-OECD Global Dialogue project.