On April 18, 2011, Ministers issued a Declaration expressing their support for the continuation and enhancement of the Drin Dialogue with the assistance of GWP Mediterranean and the U.N. Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and for the preparation of the Shared Vision for the management of the Drin Basin.
GWP Mediterranean is a Consortium Member and the Technical Director of the regional technical assistance project Sustainable Water Integrated Management – Support Mechanism (SWIM-SM) that was launched by the European Commission in December 2010 to promote the extensive dissemination of sustainable water management policies and practices in the Mediterranean. SWIM-SM Partner countries are Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria and Tunisia. As a Technical Director, GWP Mediterranean oversees all activities and contributes technically to the implementation of the project.
GWP Mediterranean, as the Secretariat of the Mediterranean Component of the EU Water Initiative (MED EUWI), has since since 2005 supported the efforts of the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water towards an Integrated Water Management Planning in the country. Through technical assistance by the MED EUWI and GWP Mediterranean, the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) aims to put in place a decision support system to examine alternative water development and management strategies to support IWRM Planning.
GWP Hungary and GWP Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) organized a knowledge-sharing workshop on “Water Resources Management Aspects of European Union Strategies for Baltic Sea and Danube Basin Regions” on April 5, 2011 in Budapest, Hungary. The focus was on sharing experiences and expertise from the implementation of the Baltic Sea Strategy. During the workshop, experts identified similarities and differences concerning water management issues and discussed implementation mechanisms and institutional roles such as selection of projects and partnerships in the Danube Region.
Participants at the Fourth Yangtze River Forum April 18-19, 2011 in Nanjing discussed the development, management and protection of the Yangtze River. The theme of the Forum, “Yangtze River and regional development”, was jointly initiated by GWP China and organizations.
On May 19, 2010, Mr. Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China, met with the GWP Steering Committee members at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and had a dinner together later. Some other senior leaders of the Ministry of Water Resources, the leader of GWP China’s host institute together with Mr. Wang Shucheng, Chair of GWP China, Dr. Dong Zheren, Standing vice Chair of GWP China, Prof. Wang Hao, Vice Chair of GWP China and Mr. Zheng Rugang, Coordinator of GWP China also joined.
The close nexus between water and energy, and the importance of policies integrating both sectors, were highlighted during multidisciplinary discussions leading to a preliminary evaluation of the state of water-related policies on adaptation to climate change throughout South America.
Building resilience through improved water management to better prepare for the impact of climate change is the best short-term strategy to combat the effects of climate change on water-related sectors of the national economy.
In April, GWP Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and GWP Hungary organised a workshop that brought Baltic Region Strategy experiences to the newly formed Danube Region Strategy. The workshop, Parallels: Water Resources Management Aspects of European Union Strategies for Baltic Sea and Danube Regions, held in April 2011, built on previous GWP work on strategy development and focused on new financing mechanisms for macro-regional economic development.
GWP partners with more than 2,800 registered organisations that share its aims and values in tackling the sustainable development, management, and use of water resources. Partners share information and experiences, and draw on each other for advice and assistance.