Climate change is getting worse. Floods, droughts and rising sea levels are threatening sanitation systems – from toilets to septic tanks to treatment plants. It is against this backdrop that World Toilet Day is celebrated on 19 November, raising awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. GWP celebrates the day by showcasing five Water ChangeMaker stories, providing hope that change is possible.
The ad-hoc Steering Committee for the Nexus activities in the Drina River Basin under the SEE Nexus Project, supported by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), had its first online meeting on 15 October 2020. Representatives from the Ministries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia relevant to the water, energy and environment sectors, were informed about and commented on the project’s objectives and planned activities in the basin.
The 2020 GWP Network Meeting concluded on 22 October, with over 900 GWP Partners signed up for the virtual event and others watching the Facebook Live feed. The overall theme was ‘Bringing the Change’ in the context of the GWP 2020-2025 Strategy and as the world faces a pandemic.
The finalists of the Water ChangeMaker Awards have been announced at the 2020 GWP Network Meeting. Oyun Sanjaasuren, Director of External Affairs for the Green Climate Fund, Chair of the stage two Water ChangeMaker thought leaders’ jury and former GWP Chair, presented the 12 change journeys that now enter the final stage of the Awards.
On 7 October, GWP Chair Howard Bamsey was the keynote speaker in the second of a series of webinars organized by the Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) on the road towards the 4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit in 2022. He spoke to the topic of "Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Investors: More Risks, More Opportunities through better Governance." His speech focused on how the world can deal with the potentially catastrophic risks of climate change by changing the pattern of investment in the global economy, towards climate-friendly activities.
Coordinated by GWP Eastern Africa and implemented by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory, $13, 079,540 from the Adaptation Fund will go towards strengthening smallholder farmers’ and pastoralists’ resilience to the adverse effects of drought in the IGAD region.
The Strengthening Drought Resilience for Smallholder Farmers and Pastoralists in the IGAD Region (DRESS-EA) project was launched online on 6 October 2020.
In the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” In that spirit, we are delighted to share the personal journeys from 78 Water ChangeMaker semi-finalists who have changed the world for the better.
