The 2021 edition of World Water Week concluded on 27 August after a packed week of digital events. As in previous years, GWP was engaged in many sessions. One of the milestone announcements of the week was the UN-Water release of the SDG 6 Progress Reports, based on the 2020 Data Drive initiative, which GWP contributed to through the SDG 6 IWRM Support Programme. The message from the launch was clear: we are not on track to meet the 2030 Agenda water goal so we need to urgently accelerate progress. Throughout the week, GWP presented several of its initiatives that aim to do just that.
To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of GWP's existence, we decided to interview 25 of our most renowned people and their relation to GWP CEE. In this article, we focused on our young specialists.
From 30 May to 3 June 2022, a meeting was held at the Novela Star Hotel in Lomé (Togo) as the first step in the process of updating Togo's framework law on the environment.
In 2021, GWP and Wuhan International Water Law Academy are co-organising an interactive online series called the "Transboundary freshwater security governance train". The series of online engagements sessions will be conducted in an approach of a ‘train’ stopping at various locations in the world, with focus on topics related to transboundary freshwater security from different parts of the world. At each of the stops, a different topic from the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security will be explored. The first session is on transboundary water agreements, and it takes place on 19 January, stopping in Africa, Europe and Asia.
On 21 October 2021, GWP and GWPSA supported the National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP), implemented by UNEP and UNDP with funding from the Global Environment Facility, in convening a webinar which explored Integrating Climate Risks in the Water Sector” with a focus on National Adaptation Plan (NAP) formulation.
The Water, Energy, Food and Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus Science Advances Conference is held online on 27-29 September. The conference will analyse the role of science as a driver of innovation for the sustainable development of the Mediterranean region, and its interfacing with the policy and decision-making processes.
World Water Day is an important milestone to raise the awareness of water security globally. The theme of World Water Day 2021 is valuing water. The value of water is greater than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. Without a comprehensive understanding of water’s true, multidimensional value, it will be challenging to safeguard this critical resource for the benefit of people, environment, and economic development.
The Indonesia Water Coalition (IWC) that officially established through the charter signing ceremony on the 29 January 2021 sees World Water Day as an important milestone to achieve water security in Indonesia, which aligns with its vision. Since its establishment in January 2021, the coalition has been focusing on initiating multi-stakeholder collaboration to tackle the growing water challenges jointly. To leverage best practices from each company and organization, we are inviting the coalition’s founding members to share their commitments, achievements, and future-plans to the public via online sharing sessions between 22-31 March 2021. As one of the founding members, Fany Wedahuditama, Regional Coordinator for Global Water Partnership Southeast Asia (GWP-SEA) shared these discussion topic on the 29 March 2021.
The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security has entered its second year, and coinciding with this, the interactive series of sessions that explore related topics resumed on 21 September. Over 100 participants joined the event on the topic of international water law and dispute settlement. The speaker presentations highlighted the complex and long-running nature of international water disputes.