Both water and energy are essential to every aspect of life; social equity, human health, ecosystem integrity and economic sustainability. The longstanding division between energy and water considerations is particularly evident in the case of energy and water management. These resources are fundamentally intertwined; energy is used to secure, deliver, treat and distribute water, while water is used to develop, process and deliver energy.
Raising awareness among young people and their teachers about the vital importance of the Danube Basin is the main aim of the annual Danube Art Master competition. Each child and school in the basin, covering 19 European countries, is invited to create a threedimensional work of art from material found near water, such as plants, shells, mud, grass and waste.
For the very first time, Southeast Asian countries have prepared an overall overview on WRM Financing, where it is linked to the GWP message: finance and good water governance are inextricably linked.
Water Ministers representing four Caribbean countries endorsed recommendations for IWRM and water financing at the 2011 GWP Caribbean/Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) High Level Session (HLS) Ministerial Forum.
The Volta River basin remained one of the few unregulated transboundary watercourses in Africa. Action was taken to improve water governance and water management practices. Although this is still in progress, it has resulted in multi-scale participatory governance frameworks for joint management. From this process, it is evident that building a local knowledge base with good data and information systems is important in deciding the most efficient allocation of resources.
GWP Eastern Africa’s communication and knowledge management strategies and activities are informed by the objectives imbedded in the overall GWP communications strategy and work plans.
Benin and the Netherlands signed a four year Memorandum of Understanding on water and pledged to establish a "technical advisory platform" with GWP Benin and the Netherlands Water Partnership playing the role of secretariat for the platform for 2012-2015. The MOU was signed by Mr. Ben Knapen, Dutch Minister for European and International Cooperation and Mr. Jonas Gbian, Beninese Minister in charge of water on Thursday, January 12, 2012.
The Eastern area of Tucuman province was faced with significant problems of contaminated water. Extensive research was done, involving universities, and a project was carried out, applying the aspects of IWRM within the areas of technical solutions, institutional arrangements of future water supply operation. This case study highlights the importance of conducting research prior to a project to attain sufficient information.