About

GWP’s VISION is a water secure world. Our MISSION is to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable and equitable development.

OUR UNIQUE VALUE: GWP mobilises action on the global water crisis through a unique combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottom-up orientation, and expertise. A network of networks, we ensure the ‘voices of water’ can inﬂuence local, national, regional, and global development priorities. We are committed to our role as a neutral convener and respected for our focus on inclusiveness and sustainability.

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GWP creates and communicates information about integrated water resources management which contributes to improved water governance and, ultimately, water security.

Together with our Partners, we provide knowledge resources and capacity building activities for solving water problems.

Partner

Institutional Partners are the basis of GWP's multi-stakeholder partnership. A strong, diverse partnership can bring about the changes needed to achieve a water secure world. In this section, learn about the benefits of being a Partner and meet a few who already are. We invite like-minded organisations to join us!

GWP Regions

This is where you can find links to the websites of our Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs). RWPs are closest to the countries where we work. They share knowledge and learning across national boundaries and are expected to have an open, inclusive, and gender-sensitive policies for bringing together as wide a group of stakeholders as possible to solve water problems.

Global

11/8/2021

At COP26, GWP marks financing success for water and climate action

GWP was actively involved during the first week of the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow – ensuring that delegates and other participants understand the critical priority of catalysing climate-resilient development, integrated resilience planning, and facilitating access to climate finance for investments in water. This effort has been amplified through the Water and Climate Pavilion in the Blue Zone, offering up to 100 events on water and climate over the course of two weeks.

Attending the Global Leaders' Summit at the Opening Session, GWP’s main takeaways were:

To keep to a 1.5-degree target, government, private sector, and civil society will have to work together for climate action through an all of society approach. Everyone has a role to play in building a just, inclusive, and water-resilient future. Sound water management offers powerful climate solutions and can help secure a 1.5-degree future.
Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, at the opening, reminded the Parties that, while the world is watching, countries are falling short on their commitments, including financial ones. To avert a major climate crisis for two-thirds of the planet, climate finance needs to flow to those who need it most: vulnerable communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

In the spirit of both takeaways, GWP welcomed the news, from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Executive Committee meeting on November 4, that a US$566,000 Readiness Proposal for Eswatini was endorsed. This came on the heels of endorsements the previous week of $672,000 for Sri Lanka and $814,000 for Somalia.

“GWP provided hands-on support to these countries to develop and submit those proposals that make a direct contribution to building climate resilience at the local and national level,” said Alex Simalabwi, GWP’s Global Lead on Climate Change and Executive Secretary of GWP Southern Africa. The GWP climate portfolio through the GCF has reached $4.2 million.

GCF’s Readiness Programme supports countries to strengthen institutional capacities, governance mechanisms, and planning frameworks for a climate action agenda. At COP 26, GWP is strengthening its relationships with countries and donor partners to facilitate greater access to climate finance.

Photo: Mr. Henk Ovink, Special Envoy International Water Affairs, Sherpa UN High Level Panel on Water. Nancy Tembo, MP Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources of the Republic of Malawi. Dario Soto Abril, GWP's Executive Secretary and CEO.

On the margins of the World Leaders Summit on November 2, former Tanzanian president and current Chair of Global Water Partnership Southern Africa and the Africa Coordination Unit, President Jakaya Kikwete called on the international community to support the establishment of an International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa, which is urgently needed to accelerate investments in water security on the continent. GWP has joined with the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), African Development Bank (AfDB), UNICEF, UNDP, and the Global Centre for Adaptation (GCA) to convene the Panel.

Also during the first week, GWP supported three major initiatives to move water up the development agenda:

As part of the Water and Climate Coalition, a community of high-level actors focused on water action, GWP signed a letter to Heads of State with a call for “Accelerated action … to address the water-related consequences of climate change that impact people and the planet.”
GWP added its voice to the Glasgow Declaration for Fair Water Footprints which calls on the global community to transform how the world’s economy interacts with water and the resilience of local communities for the production of exportable goods in developing countries.
GWP continued to support the development of the Resilient Water Accelerator, to push for greater investment to bring clean water to 50 million people in Africa and Asia by 2030.

With still a week left of the conference, more positive outcomes are expected. All participants agree that it is time for action and ambition and for voices from the ground to be heard.

Page last edited: 11/8/2021