Danube Day went global with celebrations at the 2008 World Water Expo
GWP Eastern Africa (GWP-EA), in collaboration with AMCOW and with funding from the AfDB, ran a survey of 12 countries to assess the state of IWRM planning and implementation.
GWP Ethiopia launched pilot projects in the Berki and Messena watersheds to promote IWRM, establish a framework for broader stakeholder participation, and enhance grassrootslevel water management practices.
In 2008, the governments of Mali and Senegal moved closer towards more sustainable management of water resources by finalising their national IWRM plans. This also means a step towards meeting the UN Millennium Development Goal target on access to clean drinking water.
Fifty water professionals attended a Capacity Building Workshop on Integrated Water Resources Management on November 25-28, 2008 in Skhoder Lake, Albania. The focus was on the conditions in the transboundary Drin River Basin.
The GWP has mobilized its partners to promote a more integrated approach on how to deal with Danube's water resources.
GWP Chile was accredited as a Country Water Partnership on April 9. In response to a congratulatory letter from GWP Executive Secretary Dr Ania Grobicki, GWP Chile Chair Ms María Angelica Alegria explained some of the water-related challenges facing her nation in light of its recent earthquake.
In line with GWP’s strategy to create and strengthen Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs), a multi-year process came to fruition on 29th November 2008, when a new RWP was set up: GWP Central Africa (GWP-CAf). It is based in Yaounde, Cameroon, and has over 100 partners.
In May 2008, the Slovak Association of Villages and Towns (ZMOS) embedded the integrated approach and sustainable sanitation into its Strategy on IWRM in Municipalities and their River Basins.