Water is central to Africa's development. To implement the climate change commitments in the Sharm el Sheikh Declaration and address the threat of climate change in Africa, the management of water resources must move to the top of the development agenda. This is the overall goal of the Water, Climate and Development Programme for Africa, that runs from May 2011 to April 2016.
The Chair and Executive Secretary of the Ivory Coast Country Water Partnership (PNECI) have met the Focal Point of the national platform for the reduction of disaster risks. This is meant to mobilize key partners for the implementation of the Integrated Flood management Programme in Ivory Coast.
The Water Reform process in El Salvador has been advancing rapidly, thanks to the willingness of the government to work with different stakeholders committed to good water governance.
The “Status Report on the Application of Integrated Approaches to Water Resources Management” was launched by UN-Water on 19 June 2012 at Rio+20 with GWP Chair Dr Letitia A Obeng as one of the panelists. This Status Report, prepared by UNEP in collaboration with UNDP and GWP, is one of the official UN reports to the Rio+20 conference, and is based on a survey of countries carried out in 2011. GWP facilitated the completion of level 1 and 2 surveys through the Regional and Country Water Partnerships, and is very proud to have been a partner in this endeavour.
In May 2011, the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) signed a World Bank contract to produce their online training modules to assist small farmers to effect change against risks related to agricultural production in the Caribbean region.
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The North-Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS) covers a total area of over one million km2: 700 000 km2 in Algeria, 80 000 km2 in Tunisia and 250 000 km2 in Libya.
The Chilika Lagoon was subjected to environmental degradation. Action was taken by the Chilika Development Authority through the application of GIS and remote sensing tools for monitoring and assessment of the lagoon, resulting in significant improvement of the ecological health of the lagoon. The key lesson learnt is how a clear understanding of the coastal process and the river basin is essential for restoration of a coastal wetland.
The Danube region is characterised by long-term cooperation. One of the most important agreements is the Danube River Protection Convention, aiming to achieve sustainable and equitable water management. To achieve this, the Danubian countries have taken appropriate legal, administrative and technical measures to at least maintain and improve the ecological and water quality conditions. The main lesson learnt is that strong cooperation among all the involved parties is required.