A River Basin Management Plan of the Sava river basin is under development, the first attempt in the Southern European region to draft a River Basin Management Plan according to the EU Water Framework Directive. GWP Mediterranean and GWP Central and Eastern Europe have significantly contributed to the stakeholder involvement process related to development of the Plan.
The High-Level Round Table (HLRT) on Climate Change and Water Security, held in China in April and jointly sponsored by GWP China and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), was another step on the long road to better water policies.
Drought in the Caribbean is affecting national economies and key sectors such as agriculture, energy production, tourism and water supply. This crisis was the focus of the 6th High Level Session (HLS) of Water Ministers in the Caribbean on 3-4 October 2010 in Grenada. The gathering has been organized annually since 2005 by GWP Caribbean in conjunction with the Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA).
A Seminar on the “Importance of Integrated Management in Mining Sand from the Riverbeds of Bangladesh” was conducted by SOUL (Save Our Urban Life) on August 24, 2011, with financial assistance from GWP Bangladesh.
GWP Mediterranean, as the Secretariat of the Mediterranean Component of the EU Water Initiative (MED EUWI), has since since 2005 supported the efforts of the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water towards an Integrated Water Management Planning in the country. Through technical assistance by the MED EUWI and GWP Mediterranean, the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) aims to put in place a decision support system to examine alternative water development and management strategies to support IWRM Planning.
Prof Mathias Fru Fonteh, Chair of GWP Cameroon, was appointed by the Prime Minister in September to be the Director in charge of hydraulics and hydrology in the Ministry of Energy and Water. Prof Fru Fonteh is one of the five founding champions of GWP Central Africa.
A Seminar on the “Importance of Integrated Management in Mining Sand from the Riverbeds of Bangladesh” was conducted by SOUL (Save Our Urban Life) on August 24, 2011, with financial assistance from GWP Bangladesh.
– Report from GWP’s Side Event at Astana 2011
At the Seventh “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, GWP convened a side event titled, “Economic Growth and Water: An Integrated Approach Helps” on September 23, 2011. GWP Chair Dr Letitia A Obeng emphasized that “When we speak about the economy and economic growth we speak about water resources.”
A recently released study by the World Bank emphasizes the importance of better information and a more integrated approach to water management.