On Wednesday 22nd March, 2017, GWPSA’s Executive Secretary and Head of Africa Coordination Unit, Mr. Alex Simalabwi, together with GWPSA programme staff attended the United Nations World Water Day Summit and Expo in Durban, South Africa to mark the 2017 World Water Day global celebrations under the theme “Wastewater”. The summit and expo were hosted by the Department of Water and Sanitation, in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government and UN Water.

Coinciding with World Water Day, 22 March, GWP is launching a brand-new website – in 14 editions! Every GWP region (13 in total) has its own regional website, plus the global website www.gwp.org tying them all together. This hasn’t changed, but in addition to a new responsive look and design, the big makeover lies in new search functions for knowledge, news, events, and partners, as well as highlighting GWP's results.

In celebrating World Water Day that falls annually on 22nd March, GWPSA joins the rest of the world in reflecting and campaigning on the importance of reducing and reusing wastewater. In the face of growing concerns regarding climate change in the region, the need to meet the ever-increasing demand and efforts towards reaching the SDGs, and promoting innovative approaches to wastewater management and water recovery is imperative. The treatment and reuse of wastewater has become even more critical to contributing to the drive towards the provision of sufficient water for population growth and industrial demands.

The Tanzania Water Partnership together with representatives of the 10 -member states of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and other stakeholders converged at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to commemorate Nile Day on February 22nd 2017.

The gender gap in the water sector is a significant challenge both internationally and regionally as those involved in development strategies tend to have many years of experience, traditionally associated with more established male role players. Bridging this gap is a means of ensuring that both genders, and the youth are part of the process of designing and shaping the future they inherit. Addressing this means providing shared ownership and capacity with respects to the global water challenges. Drawing on the global theme for this year: Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality, The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa partners reflect on some initiatives in the region that have narrowed the gender gap in the water sector, and provide perspectives aimed at contributing to more effective gender mainstreaming in the water sector.

GWPSA joined other key stakeholders working around climate change adaptation at a regional workshop on Climate Change National Adaptation Plans for African Anglophone countries. The workshop, which was held in Lilongwe, Malawi from 27 February-3 March 2017, was organised by the UNFCCC LEG and was attended by about 50 participants from 25 Anglophone African countries. The regional training was officially opened by the Chief Director for Environment and Climate Change Management, Dr. Yanira Ntupanyama, Malawi. Remarks were also given from UNFCCC (Dr. Paul Desanker, Manager of NAPs and Policies, and LDCs Expert Group (LEG) Chairman, Mr. Abias Huongo-Angola.

The Board of Directors of Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) is pleased to announce that Mr. Alex Simalabwi has been named the new Executive Secretary, Head of Africa Coordination Unit and GWP’s Global Lead on Climate Resilience. His appointment was effective from 1st January 2017. Mr. Alex Simalabwi succeeds Ms. Ruth Beukman who had served GWPSA since 2003.

In our 2016 interview series to celebrate GWP 20 years, we talk to Ruth Beukman, Regional Executive Secretary for GWP Southern Africa. After 13 years, she is preparing to leave her job at the end of this year. But she will never completely leave GWP, she says, and speaks fondly of the network – the “GWP family”, whose strength lies in its strong relationships, diversity and flexibility.

The 6^th General meeting of the African Network of Basin Organisations took place from 20 – 22 September 2016 at Lemigo Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting took stock of the state of implementation of the resolutions and on the achievements of African network since the holding of the 2015 general meeting.

The Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) and its stakeholders have continued efforts to improve the management of the Zambezi River Basin. A recent activity was an inaugural stakeholder consultation in collaboration with government agencies, academia, other RBOs, and local representatives, which ZAMCOM organised in Windhoek, Namibia from 27-28 September, 2016. The consultation was held under the theme “Enhancing Transboundary Cooperation through Stakeholder Engagement in the Zambezi Basin”.