On World Water Day, the SDG 6 IWRM Support Programme is announcing a major upgrade and new resources on its website to better share the challenges and opportunities countries face when implementing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Several new items include an IWRM Action Searcher, an interactive map, and stakeholder reports.
To celebrate World Water Day 2021 and show what Valuing Water means in practice across the world, we have invited some of our Water ChangeMakers to share their stories about the way they have made smart decisions that reflect the multiple values of water– from the mountains of Peru, to the plains of Tanzania.
Darío Soto-Abril took up his new role as GWP Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 1 March. In this interview, he shares his vision for the network at a time when GWP celebrates its 25th Anniversary. He also reflects on his personal view of water, as he answers the World Water Day 2021 question on what water means to him. Going back to childhood memories of growing up in Colombia, he has two words for this: happiness and equality.
The Strategic Framework for WASH Climate Resilience, developed by GWP and UNICEF, to guide implementors in climate-proofing WASH services, will be a valuable tool in UNICEF’s new drive to bring water security solutions to 450 million children and their families , living in areas of high or extremely high-water vulnerability, by 2025.
GWP and Wuhan International Water Law Academy are collaborating on a series of events called the “Transboundary freshwater security governance train”. In six online sessions, key topics on transboundary water cooperation are highlighted, with examples from different locations around the globe. The third session took place on 16 March on the topic, “River Basin Organisations (RBOs) and the Implementation of Treaty Commitments”, with about 140 participants. Experts agree that RBOs play a key role in international water law implementation – this session explained why.
A 3-part webinar series took place in February and March to highlight and clarify linkages between water and climate in national climate action plans, such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and various investment mechanisms. “For me, the stories from countries were the best part. I think they speak to all of us and tell us what it's really like to change theory into implementation on the ground,” said Dani Gaillard-Picher, GWP Global Coordinator for Water and Climate Processes, in her summary of the series.
Today is International Women’s Day and, with the rest of the world, GWP is celebrating the tremendous efforts by women and girls in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The concept of gender mainstreaming in water resources management is
not new, but we are not advancing at the pace we need. Why is that? How can countries accelerate progress towards gender mainstreaming in water resources management?
In our series of inter-regional discussions on gender equality and social inclusion, GWP’s Liza Debevec invited GWP South Asia’s Lal Induruwage, and Ashish Barua of the Swiss development organisation Helvetas, to talk about meaningful and inclusive participation in decision-making and partnerships. This is something both their countries – Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – have made great progress on in policies. However, they both agree that gaps still exist between policies and reality on the ground. One of the big challenges is lack of accountability.
