GWP has supported the consultation process of francophone youth from 21 countries in the creation of a White Paper, which expresses the role of youth in the management of water in the context of climate change. The paper was presented at COP21 in Paris last year. GWP Central America and partners have now launched a contest for youth based on the recommendations of the White Paper.
GWP Central America, through the Water, Climate and Development Programme, has developed a socioeconomic analysis of the sectoral impact of the drought of 2014 in Central America. The study concludes that losses are substantial in the agriculture, hydropower and water services sectors – exceeding US$ 650 million.
As part of the implementation of the GWP Gender Strategy, a workshop for 24 rural women on the installation and maintenance of a rainwater harvesting system as an alternative to water scarcity recently took place in Honduras. Participants included women who had previous experience in water management and who are leaders in their communities, NGOs, or work in a municipality.
A regional water youth network was created by participants to the recent Youth for Water Conference organised by GWP Central America, Movimiento de Jóvenes por el Agua (Youth Movement for Water, MOJA) and La Ruta del Clima (The Climate Route) and supported by GWP South America, UNICEF-Nicaragua, Reforestamos Mexico, and IUCN.
GWP Central America joined two Latin American youth networks in the organization of the Latin American Youth and Environment Conference (#ELACJA), held in Mexico City from October 21-23. GWP supported the participation of six people from each of the countries in the region.
GWP Central America, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in coordination with the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD) and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) of El Salvador, organised the workshop "Integrating Water Security in the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)." The event was held in San Salvador, El Salvador, on 27-29 October.
In the past months GWP Central America has undertaken various activities to continue promoting the water goal which is set to be part of the post-2015 agenda.
GWP Central America worked closely with partners to increase regional capacity regarding droughts. A new briefing note on the topic highlights the work that has been done in the context of the Water, Climate and Development Programme.
In 2014, GWP Central America with key partners put into place five pilot projects that demonstrate that water security and IWRM are fundamental to adaptation to climate change. Two of the projects are already proving the point.