The 9th session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP9) to the UN Water Convention concluded on 1 October after a week of sessions, all serving to review and propose action towards transboundary water cooperation. GWP Executive Secretary Darío Soto-Abril was a panelist in a high-level session on the theme of 'Water and Peace'. One of his key messages was on the importance of turning challenges into opportunities.
In an interview for GWP-Med Newsflow, Mr Almotaz Abadi, Managing Director for Water, at the Union for the Mediterranean - Water and Environment Division, discusses regional efforts to address water scarcity and climate challenges, the key ingredients of impactful UfM projects, ways to adapt to COVID-19 effects, and the necessity of adopting a proactive approach for realizing the SDGs.
The impacts of climate change manifest through alterations in the water cycle, exposing ecosystems and the livelihoods of people to increased variability in water availability and increased exposure to water-related hazards. These impacts are expected to intensify over time, posing a significant threat. The impacts of climate change in the water sector also hinder economic and social development, emphasizing the need for countries to integrate water security and climate resilience strategies into their development plans.
Back by popular demand, the Transboundary Freshwater Security Governance Train began its ‘Season 2’ in September 2021. This series of online engagement sessions follow a ‘train-like’ approach, stopping at various locations around the world and focusing on topics related to transboundary freshwater security. Each new stop explores a different topic from the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security. The Transboundary Freshwater Security Governance Train continues its journey on 16 November, with a 9th interactive session in the series. The topic for this event is water diplomacy and negotiation in international water law. It is a jointly organized by GWP and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)/International Centre for Water Cooperation (ICWC).
Following the Adaptation Fund’s approval in June 2021 of the pre-concept note for the “Integrated Water Resources Management and Early Warning System for climate resilience in the Lake Chad Basin” project, the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), in collaboration with the GWP-Central Africa (GWP-CAf) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) organized a hybrid session of the first regional stakeholder consultation workshop in N’Djamena from February 21st – 22nd 2022.
December 7 and 8, 2021, the 2nd Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Forum was kicked off via a ministers’dialogue at the opening ceremony following with six themed sessions.
On 26 April 2021, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in Zambia, in collaboration with GWPSA, convened a kick-off ceremony for the National Adaptation Planning for Climate Resilience (NAP4CR) Project.
After nominating Global Water Partnership Organization (GWPO) as the implementing partner for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness program, the Central African Republic National Climate Coordination, through the support of GWP Central African Republic (GWP-CAR), the Ministry in charge of Water and the Ministry in charge of Environment and Sustainable Development organized a national multi-stakeholder workshop on June 22nd, 2021, in Bangui, to present and approve the country’s draft proposal for GCF Readiness programme