Communications is key for development, something recognised by both GWP and Sida, Sweden’s International Development Cooperation Agency, and one of GWP’s founding Partners. On 22-23 November, the Communication teams of GWP and Sida joined forces with Malmö University’s Master's in Communication for Development in convening a 2-day seminar for their students as part of the course on "Media, globalization and development."
Young water leaders from Central and Eastern Europe attended COP25 in Madrid as part of the GWP youth delegation to continue the efforts of GWP to engage and empower youth in water and climate governance.
In one of its key activities at COP25, GWP announced a new collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other partners, to create plausible water solutions for a climate-resilient future in 2030 and beyond. The initiative is called "Water Resilience Frontiers: Pathways for transformational Climate Resilient Water Security in 2030 and Beyond".
The SDG 6 IWRM Support Programme, coordinated by GWP in collaboration with the UN Environment-DHI Centre and UNDP Cap-Net, has facilitated a coordinated approach to monitoring and enhancing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.5, implementing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). In 2019 four pilot countries were supported to create an IWRM Action Plan. Some lessons on how the experience gained can be put to practical use in other countries have now been captured in a summary report.
For our third and final youth voice on water for 2019 we go to the warm Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago to meet Khadija Stewart, who shares her water journey and how social media and communication has guided her to where she is today: “A simple Facebook post changed my life”, she says. The story is part of a collaboration between World Youth Parliament for Water (WYPW) and GWP to make sure the voices of youth are heard.
During the UNFCCC COP25 climate change conference in Madrid, GWP received news that it had passed the “Financial Management Capacity Assessment” (FMCA) of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). This approval enables GWP to be a delivery partner of countries to access the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme (the Readiness Programme).
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5), the effects of climate change will reduce renewable surface water and groundwater resources in most dry subtropical regions. These changes may intensify competition for water among all sectors, strain already water-scarce environments, and negatively impact water quality and quantity globally. Transboundary water basins are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, says Sonja Koeppel, Secretary of the UNECE Water Convention, as she highlights the up-coming Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on freshwater security that GWP is developing together with partners.
