BUDAPEST, 6 October - Global Water Partnership Central and Eastern Europe (GWP CEE) celebrates its 10th anniversary today, presenting results of major achievements over the past decade.
After a two-year lapse, there is renewed interest in implementing a national IWRM policy in Grenada.
In Benin, four years of lobbying and workshops culminated in the adoption by the Government, in July 2009, of a new water policy based on the IWRM approach. GWP Benin led efforts, working with parliamentarians, ministries, civil society, local communities and water user organisations, and establishing a task force. GWP Benin also arranged for consultants to review the first draft of the policy and organised a national workshop to validate the final draft.
In line with GWP’s strategy to create and strengthen Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs), a multi-year process came to fruition on 29th November 2008, when a new RWP was set up: GWP Central Africa (GWP-CAf). It is based in Yaounde, Cameroon, and has over 100 partners.
The 5th High Level Session of Ministers with responsibility for water was co-convened by GWP-Caribbean and the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association's (CWWA's) in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands on 5-6 October 2009.
Key challenges in Central Asia are the degradation of ecosystems and increasing water deficiency. It is a region of scarce water resources, many of which cut across national borders. The intensive use of the limited resources leads to conflicts of interest, making transboundary water resources management crucial to the sustainability of the region’s resources.
While Pakistan endures one of the country’s most devastating floods—possibly its worst ever—GWP Pakistan is joining with others to help provide relief and rehabilitation to remote communities that have been particularly hard-hit. In addition, the GWP Partner Hisaar Foundation and the Karachi Water Partnership, has launched an appeal to raise Rs 10 million for immediate flood relief, largely for the provision of safe drinking water.