Two major events take place - a national celebration in Sofia city on 22-23 March and a regional conference in Veliko Tarnovo town on 22 March.
The Global Water Partnership Executive Secretary Dr Ania Grobicki and the GWP Central and Eastern Europe Chair Dr. Liviu Nicolae Popescu will participate in the European event “Aquawareness Policy Forum” on World Water Day 22 March in Brussels, Belgium.
The GWP network with more than 2000 partners worldwide, celebrates World Water Day with a number of activities and events in different regions of the globe: awareness campaigns on public radio, releases of video films about water security, participation in seminars and organisation of workshops for students, pupils and policy makers.
Ambassadors from ten Asian Embassies in Stockholm visited the GWPO offices on 18 March at the invitation by the Executive Secretary, to talk about water and GWP’s work in their respective countries and regions.
Urgency for a Water Secure World
Throughout the planet, a number of issues affecting the availability and state of water resources cause a growing concern. The population is increasing. Pollution is increasing. Development pressures are mounting. However, water supply is not. Water demand by people, agriculture, food production and industry heavily pressurizes the limited water supply of the planet and ecosystems which are also dependent on water.
On March 3rd, 2010, the host of Singapore International Water Week awarded Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2010 to the Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC).
Since December 2009, GWP Armenia and its Partners have been deeply involved in solving household wastewater treatment problems. As a result of long-time lobbying, in 2010 funds from the United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF) were granted to address wastewater treatment in Parakar, Armenia, where it was a serious problem.
GWP Chair Dr. Letitia A Obeng participated in the General Assembly of the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) in Dakar, from 20 to 22 January 2010. The theme of the General Assembly was “the adaptation to consequences of climate change in basins: tools for action”. The assembly gathered together around 250 participants from all continents.
GWP Caribbean took a cue from the experiences of other Regional Water Partnerships – particularly GWP Central America and GWP West Africa – who have found that the media is one of the best channels for creating awareness about water issues among the general public.