The first consultation workshop of the Water Policy Dialogue in Palestine, within the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) labelled project Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector was held in close cooperation with the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), on 13 November 2014, in Ramallah. With more than 40 key stakeholders from the government; private companies and banks; research institutes and Academia; media as well as the Civil Society actively participating, the workshop marked the official launch of the Policy Dialogue to be conducted by GWP-Med within the period 2014-2015.
The Lake Victoria Basin is facing major ecological challenges stemming from unsustainable agriculture practices and deforestation, impacting the livelihoods of the local communities. Actions have been taken, including an action plan for management of the basin and the establishment of Lake Victoria Basin Commission, responsible for management initiatives. This case study provides insights into the link between policy formulation and implementation and enforcement. Especially, it demonstrates the importance of rooting the policies within the local communities.
GWP has been requested by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to support the preparations for the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in March 2015 in Sendai, Japan. With inputs from its partners, GWP led the development of a brief on Water and Disaster Risk.
The Global Water Partnership among the organizing stakeholders
The Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources at the United Nations University, and the Technical University of Dresden, along with the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, are organizing the Dresden Nexus Conference between 25-27 March 2015, in Dresden, Germany.
The Yangtze River Basin has been severely affected by climate change. To address this, the Yangtze River Basin Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Report has been drafted to evaluate the impact on representative ecosystems and water resources, and pinpoint adaptation strategies. The experience has demonstrated that good adaptation measures should consider not only climate itself, but also other factors, such as economy, technology, as well as social and cultural norms.