The final preparation meeting of the lead partners for the Africa Regional Process to the Eighth World Water Forum and the High Level Panel on Water (HLPW) Africa Legacy Initiative- “African Water Investment Program (AIP) was recently held in Pretoria, South Africa.
Water, Energy and Food (WEF) Nexus approach can support the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region in meeting the increasing water, energy and food security demands in a context of climate change, population growth, urbanization and natural resources degradation.
More than 140 decision makers and representatives of government, civil society, international organisations, donors, financing institutions, and the private and banking sector, came together for 3 days sharing experiences and discussing needs, challenges and next steps during the “Conference on Water Governance in MENA and wider Mediterranean region” that was held in Barcelona, on 12-14 December. The Regional Conference was organised under the auspices of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), by two UfM-labelled projects supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), namely the Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector project led by GWP-Med, and the Regional Water Integrity Capacity Building Programme in MENA, led by SIWI UNDP Water Governance Facility. The Conference was organised in close and strategic synergy with the EU-funded Sustainable Water Integrated Management and Horizon 2020 Support Mechanism (SWIM-H2020 SM) regional project.
The 3rd Consultation Workshop on enhancing the potential for Private Sector Participation in Water Infrastructure in Lebanon, with emphasis on the role of Banks was organised in Beirut on the 8th November 2017, as part of the National Policy Dialogue on Water Governance and Financing. The Workshop involved more than 25 targeted representatives of relevant public institutions, private banks, regional organisations and NGOs.
The investment potential in wastewater treatment and reuse in Middle East & North Africa (MENA) was discussed at a session organised by the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) during the recent World Water Week in Stockholm (27 August – 1 September 2017). This was part of the “MENA Focus” set of 4 sessions, led by key institutions in the Region.2017 was the 2nd year that a dedicated MENA Regional Focus was part of the World Water Weeks’ programme, alongside the Regional Focus Days for Africa, Asia and Latin America. In addition to the (co) organization of sessions, GWP-Med is coordinating the overall “MENA Focus”.
At the 12th Consulting Partners Meeting held in May 2017, GWPSA Consulting partners adopted a decision for the ‘Strategic Repositioning’ of GWPSA and CWP’s role on water security to advance the SADC Regional industrialisation and job creation agenda as well as the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC) and River Basin Organisations (RBO) in the region must create an enabling policy environment that supports harmonised approaches and implementation of joint water quality programmes.
