There are growing concerns about the potential effects of climate change on the socio-economic characteristics and natural resources of the Lower Mekong Basin. In response to the potential impacts of climate change, the Mekong River Commission has launched the regional Climate Change and Adaptation Initiative. Furthermore, a Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment has been conducted. The most important lesson learnt is that it is essential to establish a regional organisation to combat climate change.
GWP has joined the Sanitation and Water for All initiative as a Multilateral Partner, together with other GWP Partner organizations. Sanitation and Water for All aims to address the barriers to achieving universal and sustainable sanitation and drinking water for everyone, including poor water resources management.
The GWP network has been invited by an initiative called “The Future We Want” to contribute solutions for Rio+20. The Future We Want is a global initiative to move beyond negative visions of the future and focus on the sustainability solutions that are ready to be implemented by 2030.
One thing became clear at the Doha climate negotiations. As governments struggle to reach any agreement on climate mitigation, the urgency and importance of agreement on adaptation is now coming to the fore.
Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) was among various water agencies and stakeholders invited to the Project Launch Workshop of a Regional Water Sector Review being spearheaded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
The 2nd High-Level Regional Policy Workshop focusing on “Adapting to Climate Change Induced Water Stress in Nile River Basin,” resolved to bridge the gap between science and policy, enhance the efforts of generating and sharing knowledge about climate change and conducting hotspot analysis at country level.
The Workshop on Efficient Use of Water Resources and Ecological Compensation on Loess Pleteau of the Yellow River, co-organized by GWP China Yellow River and Yellow River Research Institute, was held on September 27 and 28, 2010, Zhengzhou, Henan Province.
The 3rd International Conference “AQUA 2008” on Water Science and Technology with emphasis on water & climate was held on 16 -19 October 2008, Athens, Greece, by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dpt. of Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, the Association of Greek Chemists, the Mediterranean Information Office for the Environment Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE) and the Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean (GWP-Med), under the auspices of the European Association of Chemical and Molecular Sciences (EuCheMS).
In April 2010, GWP Chile became an accredited Country Water Partnership.
The challenges China is facing with the rapid growth of urban centres, and the corresponding demands on limited water and related resources, is immense. This is true on the Loess Plateau which covers an area of some 640,000 km² in the upper and middle of China's Yellow River. A workshop on “Efficient Use of Water Resources and Ecological Compensation” was co-organized by GWP China-Yellow River and the Yellow River Research Institute on 27-28 September 2010, in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.