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A regional consultation on the social aspects of water infrastructures in West Africa

One of the ways the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) commemorated World Water Day (WWD) 2014 which was observed on March 22^nd, was through its first-ever WWD Facebook Photo Competition.

A consultation meeting on Learning Deltas Asia Initiatives (LDAI), an Inter-Regional Collaboration between Global Water Partnership (GWP) South Asia and South East Asia was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 26 to 28 February 2017 with the participation of delegations of Bangladesh and Myanmar.

From the Executive Secretary of GWP/WA

The district of Tikamgarh has faced severe water scarcity. Action was thus taken to implement concrete measures to restore the water bodies in the surrounding area. Together with relevant stakeholders, the district administration initiated and implemented the project. The key lesson to draw from this case is the need for the participation by all relevant groups. 

River Indio’s watershed is the source of water supply for the growing demand in the metropolitan area of Panamá. However, due to extensive human activity and mismanagement the area has been affected by extensive deterioration. Action has been taken to reinforce natural resources restoration and water resources conservation, grounded in government strenthening and integrated management. Important lessons can be drawn from this in terms of IWRM, as it sets a clear example of active participation of the communities and the local authorities.

In Shaanxi Province, groundwater is the main source of water for drinking and irrigating crops. It is also vital for sustaining ecosystems such as streams, lakes, and wetlands. But this resource is coming under pressure due to population growth, urbanisation and changing land use, and climate change. GWP China Shaanxi conducted a series of studies to analyse the role of groundwater in water resources allocation. These led to a proposal to establish legislation and provided policy recommendations to decision-makers to strengthen the management of groundwater.

The paper explores how international law facilitates transboundary cooperation in a manner that is accessible to the wider transboundary water community. It discusses the norms and principles contained in treaties and rules of customary law and examines how these work in selected case studies from across the GWP network. This is a Technical Background Paper, written by the GWP Technical Committee, a group of internationally recognised professionals in integrated water resources management.