The idea of a Regional Climate Outlook Forum (RCOF) originated out of a workshop entitled “Reducing Climate-related Vulnerability” held in Southern Africa in October 1996. Almost a year later, towards the end of 1997, the first RCOF was held in Zimbabwe in Southern Africa where the idea was birthed.
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.
GWP Country Water Partnerships met November 6 to start work on a road map for an initiative between the GWP Water, Climate and Development Programme for Africa (WACDEP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Nile Basin Initiative. Participants agreed that WACDEP will be implemented as a joint programme with the UNEP climate change adaptation project on the Nile Basin. GWP Eastern Africa is supporting UNEP to build stakeholder capacities.
A regional consultation on the social aspects of water infrastructures in West Africa
The Regional Workshop "IWRM as a practical approach to Climate Change Adaptation in Caucasus and Central Asia" under support by and in cooperation with SDC was held on 18-19 March 2013 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
With the support of GWP Honduras, a coordination platform was established on June 7, 2011, to manage the Tulián River Basin.
World Water Day 2012 was celebrated on 22nd March under the theme of "Water and Food Security: The World is Thirsty Because We are Hungry". A host of activities was organised by the Country Water Partnerships of GWP South Asia to mark this day. More details of the events carried out by each Country Water Partnership are given below
The MoU signed on April 9, 2013 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso aims at "formalizing the commitment of both parties to agree on how to use funds made available to the VBA for the implementation of WACDEP activities."
GWP Mediterranean will launch the Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP) for Northern Africa on 20 December 2012 in Tunis, Tunisia.