PRESASS 2024 was organized, from 22 to 26 April 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria, by the AGRHYMET Regional Climate Center for West Africa and the Sahel (AGRHYMET RCC-WAS) of CILSS, in collaboration with ACMAD, the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (SNMHs), the WMO and West African River Basin Organizations.
Every 22 March, the world celebrates World Water Day with this year theme focus on “Accelerating Change to Solve Water and Sanitation Crisis”. Since water affects us all, we have to response with immediate action, as access to clean and safe water and basic sanitation consider human rights, yet large part of the world population still does not have access to it.
The policy brief of the International Science Council (ISC) for the UN 2023 Water Conference highlights the importance of science and the importance of actionable knowledge in responding to current global water crises as well as emerging and future challenges.
The planet is facing multiple challenges, such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Haiti, as part of this region, is the most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the World Risk Index. Over the last 34 years, the country has suffered from the effects of droughts, floods, hurricanes, and more. These affect vulnerable communities, including women and girls, children, and youth.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat has installed portable handwashing facilities at the Beitbridge border post on the Zimbabwean side of its border with South Africa, at Chirundu Border Post between Zimbabwe and Zambia, at Nakonde/Tunduma one stop border post between Zambia and the United Republic of Tanzania, and at Songwe/Kasumulu border crossing between Malawi and Tanzania.
Mr Nanda Abeywickrama, (former Secretary, Ministry of Lands and Land Development (1978-88) and Director, International Co-operation (1988-94) also worked as a Special Adviser to the Director General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) from 1997 to 2005. In 1998, Mr Abeywickrama’s name was recommended by the then Director General, IWMI and appointed as a founding member of the Global Water Partnership Technical Advisory Committee for South Asia (SASTAC). Later, he held the position of Regional Chair of GWP South Asia (GWP SAS) from 2005 when the SAS Secretariat was moved to Sri Lanka under the hosting agreement with IWMI. He served as the Chair, GWP SAS from 2005-06 and weaned away from work gradually. Currently, Mr Abeywickrama is in his retirement living with his beloved wife in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023 (IWD 2023) is, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. On the eve of celebrating, we asked women in the GWP CACENA network to tell us their journeys to innovation and technology in the water sector.
Integrating hydro-climatic risk assessments, climate change adaptation strategies and machine learning fundamentals, as mechanisms to address the region’s water resource challenges, were areas presented during two-day workshop held at the Bay Gardens Hotel in St. Lucia.
