Monika Weber-Fahr took up her new position as Executive Secretary of Global Water Partnership on 7 May. “As the newest kid on the block I’m feeling very humbled. I’m inspired by what the network is and what it has done in the past 20+ years, and what it can do going forward in a world where water is such a huge priority”, she says.
GWP co-organised the recent World Meteorological Organization (WMO) HydroConference – the Global Conference for Prosperity through Hydrological Services – in Geneva, Switzerland. The event set out to create better interfaces between the providers of hydrological services and the users who need such services for a wide range of decision-making.
GWP Southern Africa played a major role in Botswana's development of a national Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency (IWRM/WE) Plan. The creation of GWP Botswana and its involvement in the process was vital to make it a success, allowing the government to access stakeholders from all levels of society, says Bogadi Mathangwane, Director of the Botswana Department of Water Affairs.
GWP has been working closely with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) for over 20 years – the first connection goes back all the way to 1996, when GWP was established. Today, GWP Southern Africa is a recognized implementing agency of SADC, and also a strategic partner. GWP has supported SADC through the different phases of its regional IWRM plan, and currently one of the key activities is implementing a regional Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus Approach.
The GWP Annual Report for 2017 – “GWP in Action 2017” – is available online. The report presents highlights from the entire GWP network. "The stories point in one direction: GWP is the multi-stakeholder partnership that delivers on SDG 6 implementation through an integrated approach to water resources management," says GWP Chair Oyun Sanjaasuren in her message in the report.
World Water Day is an annual observance day on 22 March to highlight the importance of the world’s water resources. For GWP, this an important day to be an 'ambassador for water' and the network participates in celebrations around the world in various ways. Here are some of the highlights of 2018.
The Orange-Senqu River Basin is a transboundary water resource shared by Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa, managed by the Orange–Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) - a GWP Southern Africa Partner. The Commission was established in 2000 and in this interview, Executive Secretary Lenka Thamae describes the partnership and issues at hand.
GWP recognises the importance of the private sector, a key stakeholder, in delivering the water-related development agenda. The integrated water resources management approach can add value to existing corporate stewardship initiatives and leverage the strengths and perspectives of the private sector to improve water management and governance.
In the face of profound global water challenges, on World Water Day 2018 five global multi-stakeholder partnerships representing business, governments, intergovernmental organisations, academia, and civil society organisations announced a new collaboration effort designed to accelerate progress toward ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation around the world. (Full statement at right.)
