Water is central to Africa's development. To implement the climate change commitments in the Sharm el Sheikh Declaration and address the threat of climate change in Africa, the management of water resources must move to the top of the development agenda. This is the overall goal of the Water, Climate and Development Programme for Africa, that runs from May 2011 to April 2016.
GWP India partner Jheel Sanrakshan Samiti (JSS), together with GWP India, convened Women Self Help Groups from 21 communities on 10 October 2011 to address the role of women in the management of water. The marginalized role of women is related to social, educational and cultural traditions, the participants concluded, noting that the State Water Policy stresses the importance of the participation and involvement of women in water management.
GWP West Africa played a key role in a series of meetings that agreed on a training module for water science for higher degrees – bachelors, masters and doctorates – throughout Francophone Africa.
Building resilience through improved water management to better prepare for the impact of climate change is the best short-term strategy to combat the effects of climate change on water-related sectors of the national economy.
In 2010, for the first time, GWP Southeast Asia and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) jointly organised the Expert Group Meeting, Monitoring Investment and Results in the Water Sector in Asia and Pacific, strengthening ties between the two organisations.
At a roundtable organised by GWP Armenia in June 2011, aimed at drawing attention to the problems of transboundary river basins, participants agreed to work towards the establishment of an independent Aghstev River basin council to implement an integrated basin plan. Issues facing the basin include legal frameworks, deforestation and water quality. The meeting took place in Dilijan City on the banks of the transboundary Aghstev River, a tributary of the Kura-Araks (also a transboundary river).
GWP Armenia organized a roundtable devoted to the Kura-Araks River on June 2, 2011, a day designated as the Kura-Araks Rivers Protection Day. The round table was aimed at attracting the attention of participants to the problems of transboundary river basins. The key message of the roundtable was to apply “Common river – Common Opportunities” approaches.
GWP India partner Jheel Sanrakshan Samiti (JSS), together with GWP India, convened Women Self Help Groups from 21 communities on 10 October 2011 to address the role of women in the management of water. The marginalized role of women is related to social, educational and cultural traditions, the participants concluded, noting that the State Water Policy stresses the importance of the participation and involvement of women in water management.
HRH the Prince of Orange of the Netherlands, and a Patron of the Global Water Partnership (GWP), will deliver the GWP Annual Lecture on Friday, August 19, 2011.