GWP SA, on behalf of SADC is currently making preparations for the forthcoming SADC Water Weeks which have been slated from April – October 2014. The SADC Water Weeks are aimed at ensuring that the Regional Water Programme is well understood and embraced by stakeholders from various sectors at the national level. The SADC Water Weeks were last held in the year 2000 and led to the development of the SADC Water Vision for Water, Life and the Environment
The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP SA) has been supporting the development of a Climate Change Strategy and actions plans for water related sectors in the Zimbabwe National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS) consultation process since its inception in August 22nd 2013. A number of stakeholders, such as COMESA, UNDP, and UNICEF have been supporting this process.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has a unique global water information system, AQUASTAT, developed since 1993 by the Land and Water Division. The main objective of the programme is to systematically select the most reliable information on hydrological resources and water use in each country, as well as to make this information available in a standard format for interested global, regional and national users.
In 2013 UN-Water initiated an expert consultation process where UN-Water’s 31 UN-members and 36 international Partners, including GWP, came together to analyze what role water could have in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The result is a joint paper with technical advice.
The United Nations World Water Day is set for 22 March 2014. This year’s theme is Water and Energy.
GWP SA was invited to join about twenty other stakeholders in a discussion convened by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) Brownbag. The discussion was held on 27th November 2013 to converse food insecurity in Southern Africa. The brown bag represents an effort to engage stakeholders to dialogue in order to address deeper problems – focusing on changing underlying policy, legislation and practice, rather than on short-term welfarest interventions. The discussion was moderated by Masego Madzwamuse, the Economic Justice Programme Manager at OSISA.
As an implementing partner in delivering components of the GiZ Transboundary Water Resources Management Programme Phase III in SADC, GWP SA is supporting stakeholder and Capacity needs analysis in the Limpopo and Orange-Senqu River Basins. This exercise falls under Programme 6 – Stakeholder Participation, under the “Mainstreaming Climate Change into the Water Sector within the SADC Region”.
GWP SA attended the Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) Communications Task Team (CTT) which met on the 19 November 2013. The meeting provided an opportunity for GWP SA to give an update on the ‘Mainstreaming Climate Change into the Water Sector in the SADC region’ project. The ‘Climate Change Mainstreaming in the SADC Water Sector’ project aims to strengthen national stakeholder platforms for effective decision-making in Water Resource Management & Development, by providing training in national forums by targeting stakeholders and providing national consultations on basin wide issues (such as the development of the ORASECOM IWRM Plan).
GWP SA is a collaborating partner of the WaterNet/ WARFSA/ GWP SA Symposium. The 14th WaterNet Symposium was held on 30th October to 1st November 2013 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The theme of this year’s WaterNet Symposium was “Transboundary Water Cooperation: Building Partnerships”.
Capacity development at transboundary and national levels is urgently required to enhance local technical, analytical and institutional capacity for climate resilient development. This is a key pillar of the WACDEP and NAPs process. Investment planning for climate resilient development needs to be informed by sound economic analysis of adaptation. In collaboration with AMCOW, CDKN, UNDP-GEF, CapNet and GWP, a Capacity Development Initiative on Economics of Adaptation, Water Security and Climate Resilient Development is implemented in Africa.