Bangkok, Thailand (12/8/2017). Southeast Asia is particularly vulnerable to climate change for several reasons. First and foremost, in many of these countries large portions of the population live in poverty. The proportion of the population living below the poverty line ranges from the lowest in Thailand at 10.2% to 53% in Lao PDR (ADB 2008). The poor are particularly vulnerable to climate change, as they lack the resources necessary for many types of adaptive actions. With its extensive coastlines, Southeast Asia is also home to many millions of people living at low elevations that are at risk from sea level rise. Moreover, ongoing social and environmental challenges in the region – notably growing income inequality, rising food prices, and widespread deforestation – contribute to social vulnerability and make climate change more likely to bring significant harms.
Global Water Partnership (GWP) Africa undertook an inception mission in Madagascar to support the design of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) work on Climate resilience mainstreaming into the water sector and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in the country aligning it to the country National Adaptation Planning process.
The High Level Panel on Water (HLPW) was set out to raise the profile of water in addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), says Dr. Oyun Sanjaasuren, Chair Global Water Partnership Organization (GWPO).
The Water Cooperation and Diplomacy Joint Master’s Degree Programme is seeking highly qualified candidates to join the international programme beginning in summer 2018.
In recognition of the increasing pollution in the Chubachu stream compounded by poor waste management, the National Environment Commission Secretariat in collaboration with the Thimphu Thromde, Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN)/Bhutan Water Partnership (BhWP) and Clean Bhutan decided to adopt and spearhead the cleaning of Chubachu stream. The adoption was launched on 22 March 2017 in observation of the World Water Day, which was followed by a mass cleaning campaign.
The first International Workshop on Wastewater Management in the Danube river Basin took place from 28 to 29 November 2017 in Bucharest, Romania. The Workshop was co-organised by the ICPDR, IAWD, the International Association of Water Supply companies in the Danube River Catchment Area, and the World Bank.
Bangladesh hosted the fourth regional consultation on Valuing Water held on 31 July 2017 at the BRAC Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sixty-three water professionals from Bangladesh, development partners representing World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations, Water Resources Group 2030 (WRG 2030), Embassies and other organisations have actively participated the discussion.
The Pakistan country stakeholder workshop for Sustainable Development Goal 6.5.1 will be held on 20 December 2017 organised by Pakistan Water Partnership (PWP) together with the relevant ministries and appointed Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Focal Point with the collaboration of GWP.
The interdependence between Water, Energy and Food security (WEF) offers opportunities for stronger collaboration among the three sectors, thus increasing the strength of tackling the region’s developmental Agenda leading to the achievement of the SADC Goals of Peace and Stability, Regional Integration, Industrialisation and Poverty Eradication.
