Any experience on water management is worth to be shared, says Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences of UNESCO: “Water managers need to understand the different journeys that have been taken, so that we collectively can promote sustainable water management.”

"We're interested in the Water ChangeMaker Awards because we understand that climate resilience is an active leadership," says John Matthews, Executive Director of Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) on the decision to partner with GWP for the Awards: “Climate resilience is something that requires bold thinking and bold actions, and we need the Water ChangeMaker Awards as a signal for aspirations, for hopes, for what positive change can really look like.”

We work very closely as knowledge brokers with policy and decision-makers to walk the journey with them of implementing climate action, says CDKN Director Dr Shehnaaz Moosa: “When the Water ChangeMaker Awards came up, it seemed like an automatic fit for CDKN to be a knowledge partner”.

The connection between water and climate is undeniable, says Gabriel Eckstein, President of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA): "Without one, we cannot have the other. This is why we joined as a Partner with the Water ChangeMaker Awards - to bring closer the knowledge and expertise and voices of members and partners to the international water and development communities that are making decisions, moving to action and inspiring others."

To strengthen journalists understanding of water security and climate resilience for effective communication with stakeholders, the Central Africa Republic Country Water Partnership (PNE-RCA), with the technical and financial support of the GWP Central Africa (GWP-CAF) and UNICEF, organized a two day capacity building workshop for media professionals in Bangui in December 2019. The participants at the workshop expressed their gratitude for the initiative and committed to contribute to the sensitization of stakeholders on water security and climate resilience. They also made a series of recommendations to key stakeholders, on enhancing water security and climate resilience. Steps have since been taken by PNE-RCA to implement the recommendations made towards the establishment of a network of water and climate journalists, and plans have been made to sustain it through subsequent capacity building workshops.

Trinidad and Tobago held a virtual consultation on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 6.5.1 – which tracks the degree of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) implementation. This is the first in a series of 60+ in-country consultations coordinated by GWP this year, in collaboration with the UNEP-DHI Centre and Cap-Net UNDP, under the guidance of the UN Environment Programme. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the planned workshops will be held online. “We firmly believe that an integrated approach to water resources management is needed now more than ever”, says GWP Senior Water Resources Management Specialist Colin Herron.

IHE Delft Institute for Water Education is one of the partners of the Water ChangeMaker Awards. We spoke with Eddy Moors, who is the Rector, and he explained the reason why they joined: “I think it's quite important that we learn from one another and I think the ChangeMakers programme and awards is offering the possibility to exchange with an even wider community than the alumni at IHE has already.”

In the period 2017-2020 Country Water Partnership-Armenia as a partner together with Urban Foundation for Sustainable Development and Yerevan State University Environmental Law Resource Centre undertook the implementation of USAID-funded “Participatory Utilization of Resource Efficiency of Water” Project/ PURE Water Project.

GWP Cameroon and its partners have trained women leaders in the Meri District, Northern Cameroon on community sensitization on fluorosis and its health impacts. The aim was to help change mentalities and break stereotypes related to dental fluorosis. An evaluation shows that the training and the activities of the women leaders has had a positive impact on the community's perception of the disease. The approach also created momentum for awareness activities in the entire Mayo Tsanaga River Basin.