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In line with one of the decisions of the Sixteenth Session of the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Malawi launched its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) on 2^nd September at Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe. This was followed by a three day National Stakeholder Workshop at Sunbird Livingstonia Beach Hotel in Salima whose goal was to assist the Malawi Government to identify the next steps to start its National Adaptation Plan Process through multi-stakeholder engagement.

GWP's Executive Secretary, Dr. Ania Grobicki spoke during the official opening of the 6th “WACDEP Technical Coordination Workshop” held from the 15th -19th September 2014 at Meikles Hotel, Harare, Zimbabwe. The workshop was hosted by the Zimbabwe Country Water Partnership (ZCWP), under the patronage of Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate, Zimbabwe.

GWP’s WACDEP Capacity Development Programme held the second workshop in Maputo, Mozambique from the 26^th- 29^th August, 2014 on ‘Economics of Adaptation, Water Security and Climate Resilient Development in Africa’. The workshop is one of the workshops in a series of five national workshops under the “GWP/UNDP-GEF joint Capacity Development Programme on the Economics of Adaptation, Water Security and Climate Resilient Development in Africa”. 

The GWP SA Young Professional Development Programme is part of GWPs role in integrating youth in its strategy. As part of GWP SA’s commitment, three young water professionals were recruited between the months of July – August 2014. This effort comes in support of the GWP strategy that aims to increase the involvement of young people as essential partners in GWP’s network to strengthen their awareness and develop their skills in working towards a sustainable future in fields related to water management and development.

The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa, on behalf of the Strengthening Institutions for Transboundary Waters Resources Management in Africa (SITWA) project held a regional consultation for about 20 participants to ensure regional stakeholder input into the draft 10-year strategy and a detailed 5-year action plan of the African Network of Basin Organizations (ANBO) was held on 30th and 31st July, 2014 at the Gaborone Sun hotel in Gaborone, Botswana.

GWP SA is working closely with a number of partners namely GRID-Arendal and RESILIM in the development of an Atlas of the Limpopo River Basin. This initiative is a basin collaboration initiative known as the Limpopo River Basin of Our Changing Environment.  An initial conceptualisation workshop was held by the partners on the 18^th-19^th August, 2014 at Cresta Churchill in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The workshop brought together 33 participants to share experiences and understand the environmental changes that have occurred in the Limpopo River Basin and conceptualise the development of an Atlas.

There is a need for stakeholders to be organized, capacitated and empowered in order to be effectively involved in decision-making processes in the development and management of shared water resources, improved climate resilience, poverty alleviation and ensuring that water resources are secure. With that objective in mind, GWP SA through the Namibia Water Partnership conducted its first training workshop aimed at broadening stakeholder participation in Transboundary Water Resources Management in the Orange – Senqu basin.

Two of the regional ‘sister networks’, Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP-SA) and WaterNet held a regional knowledge exchange workshop from the 12^th to 13^th of August 2014 at Protea Edward Hotel in Durban, South Africa. The workshop was aimed at strengthening the partnership between the two networks in knowledge management and professional capacity development. The workshop addressed three critical issues: providing an overview of GWP’s Knowledge Management strategic thrust and the GWP IWRM Toolbox; strengthening the GWP-SA and WaterNet partnership on ‘research for development’; and building on professional capacity development.

GWP SA’s Executive Secretary, Ms Ruth Beukman joined other key stakeholders at the much awaited Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) Official Launch which was held at Maputo, Mozambique on July 24^th 2014. The launch of LIMCOM follows the finalisation of the process of ratification of the Agreement for the establishment of LIMCOM.  

The formulation of Zimbabwe’s National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS) process that began in 2012 finally came to an end on 15^th July, 2014 at a multi stakeholder meeting that brought together 62 participants from different Ministries, partner organisations and other relevant departments. A key milestone of this meeting was the adoption of the NCCRS by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate.