In the arid landscapes of Djibouti, women have long carried the weight of their households; walking long distances to fetch water, managing domestic responsibilities, and sustaining livelihoods with limited resources. These burdens stretch women’s time, affect their wellbeing, restrict their opportunities for economic development, while exposing them to heightened risks of gender-based violence (GBV), especially during long, unsafe journeys in search of water or income.
Small holder farmers and pastoralists in Djibouti are increasingly exposed to climate risks, with recurrent droughts that continue to threaten food security and livelihoods. To help address this challenge, especially in the IGAD region, the DRESSEA project, funded by the Adaptation Fund through the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) and implemented regionally by Global Water Partnership Eastern Africa (GWPEA), is supporting: Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda to produce regular, impact based drought bulletins.
The governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe have pledged their commitment to tackling social, economic, and environmental challenges on the increase in the Buzi, Pungwe, and Save (BUPUSA) River Basins, shared exclusively by the two countries. The commitment was expressed through the signing of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for the BUPUSA Watercourses by ministers for water in the two countries, on 29 November 2024. The 10-year SAP was developed by the two governments with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and technical support from the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Conference of the Parties, at its sixteenth session held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2-13 December 2024), invited GWP to serve as a technical partner in the continuous development of existing Drought Monitoring and Early Warning Systems. This decision acknowledges GWP as a strong global player in drought management.
In recognition of Resilience Day at UNCCD COP 16 in Riyadh, UNCCD, GWP and International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA) are launching a global photo competition to highlight the critical issue of drought resilience and its connection to water scarcity and land degradation.
As a long-standing co-sponsor of the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP), the Global Water Partnership (GWP) is proud to have played a central role in organising the Drought Resilience +10 Conference. This conference, marking the 11th anniversary of the launch of IDMP by GWP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), served as a critical milestone in the global conversation on drought and water scarcity. It highlighted the pressing need for unprecedented collaboration to address the escalating threat of drought and water scarcity worldwide.
/ Central and Eastern Europe, Global, Mediterranean
The Community of Learning and Practice on Drought Management for Central and Eastern Europe and Northern Mediterranean (CLP CEE & NM) was launched during a landmark event held on 22-24 April in Chisinau, Moldova.
On 30 January, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and GWP organised an online peer-to-peer exhange on drought management in Latin America and the Caribbean, bringing together 250 experts, policy makers, and scientists from the region.
/ Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Caucasus
A Visegrad funded training, 'Taking Action for Integrated Drought Management in Armenia,' was held in Yerevan, Armenia from October 11th to 12th, 2023.
