The National Water Law, approved in 2009 (see GWP in Action 2009 Annual Report, p. 24), aims to establish a national framework for water management and stipulates the establishment of watershed councils to improve water governance through stakeholder participation.
The National IWRM Plan for Panama was approved in November 2011. This is the culmination of a long process, under the National Environment Authority (ANAM), supported by GWP Panama. The Plan aims to improve the welfare of communities in the basins, without compromising the sustainability of their natural or cultural systems. The Plan will benefit 3.4 million people and contribute to the operation of the Panama Canal, which in 2011 contributed US$1.043 million to the country's economy.
To involve the private sector more in developing water infrastructure, GWP Mediterranean continued with national assessments and multi-stakeholder dialogues. These were run within the framework of MED EUWI and the GEF MedPartnership, and in close collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
While pollution problems have long been acknowledged in the Okavango Delta, it was the Botswana IWRM-WE Plan project (facilitated by GWP Botswana, led by Botswana's Department of Water Affairs, and funded by UNDP GEF) which brought stakeholders and institutions together to act on the issue. This contrasted with the isolated, ad hoc project and departmental actions that had gone before.
The new State Water Policy of Rajasthan, the largest state in India by area, puts the emphasis on two components: an integrated water resources management approach and the efficient working of Water User Groups (WUG). During 2010, GWP India with the support of its Northern Zone Water Partner, organized two workshops for the capacity building of NGOs involved in the implementation of the new policy.
The new State Water Policy of Rajasthan, the largest state in India by area, puts the emphasis on two components: an integrated water resources management approach and the efficient working of Water User Groups (WUG). During 2010, GWP India with the support of its Northern Zone Water Partner, organized two workshops for the capacity building of NGOs involved in the implementation of the new policy.
The global focus on the threats posed by climate change has drawn attention to the fact that water will be the medium through which many of its impacts will be felt. In addition to the direct impacts of damaging floods and interruptions to water supply due to drought, a particular concern in many regions is the threat to food security, driven by changing rainfall patterns and increased aridity.