CIWA Quarterly Bulletin
Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter! As we welcome the new year of 2024, we invite you to join us in sparking change with CIWA. We are excited to share that after more than a decade of Going Beyond Water, new milestones await us.
We are proud to announce that our 2023 Annual Report is now available on CIWA’s website. Take a moment to read about the impactful work of the CIWA Program in supporting riparian countries and their efforts towards collaborative and sustainable management of transboundary waters.
We also invite you to explore our newly enhanced website and to continue to follow us on X (ex-Twitter)!
Cheers and happy reading!
Anders Jägerskog and Ai-Ju Huang
CIWA Program Managers
CIWA Releases Its 2023 Annual Report
Africa’s water resources are a huge opportunity to harness for economic growth. The CIWA Program is dedicated to leveraging these resources, as evidenced in its latest Annual Report for 2023 titled “Water Knows No Boundaries: Promoting a Climate-Resilient and Peaceful Africa”.
What’s making a splash
Building regional drought resilience is a marathon, not a sprint: Lessons from Southern Africa
The cross-sectoral approach to drought analytical work embodied by the Southern Africa Drought Resilience Initiative technical support program – SADRI – provides a new model for engagement in Southern Africa and regions beyond.
Asia Namusoke: Making a difference for her Ugandan community and the climate
Asia found her CIWA-funded training inspiring, prompting her to create small, but smart innovations that are transforming the lives of the women and youth in her community of Kampala, Uganda.
Uncovering the socio-economic potential of Groundwater-dependent Ecosystems in the Sahel
In the Sahel region, groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are important lifelines for communities. Watch this part 1 of our three video-explainers CIWA produced on groundwater management in the Sahel.
What’s new in transboundary waters cooperation
Nile Basin Discourse: Episode 3 of the "Watering Women Webinar Series"
The 'Watering Women' Webinar Series is an initiative of Nile Basin Discourse's Regional Nile Women's Network (RNWN); aimed at bridging the gender gap in the Water Resource Management (WRM) sector.
A Policy Brief of the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition available to download
The policy brief informs climate discussions and negotiations at COP28 and beyond. Discover why collaborative water management is essential in the fight against climatechange.
Borehole heroes: Help increase the lifespan of water wells
A recent World Bank report on the economics of groundwater revealed a troubling reality: investments often fail to consider the operational efficiency and durability of water wells and boreholes that are constructed. Know more in this blog prepared by our CIWA water specialist, François Bertone.
Enhanced Groundwater Management and Collaboration in the Horn of Africa
A three-day learning event happened in November 2023 and that brought together stakeholders from IGAD member states and lead international experts to address key challenges and opportunities for sustainable groundwater (GW) management and collaboration in the Horn of Africa (HoA).
Why GWSP is the partner of choice to deliver on the global water challenge
The Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership (GWSP)’s work is critical for delivering on the water-related Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate commitments. Read this blog prepared by Saroj Kumar Jha, Global Director of the World Bank's Water Global Practice.
SADC-GMI Training and conference calendar
The Southern African Development Community – Groundwater Management Institute (SADC-GMI) just released its training and conference calendar for 2024. Many short courses are available. For additional information or to register, e-mail: thokozani@sadc-gmi.org/ info@sadc-gmi.org
This global workshop, that took place in Geneva last December, aimed to support countries and RBOs in further mobilizing funding and financing resources for transboundary water cooperation and basin development. CIWA Program Manager Anders Jagerskog notably made a joint presentation on the CIWA financed project Nile Cooperation on Climate Resilience with Mr. Michael Kizza, Deputy Executive Director of the Nile Basin Initiative.
AMCOW advocates for Climate Action at a Post-COP28 Stakeholders Dialogue
Earlier this month, in Nigeria, the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) advocated for climate action in a post-COP28 multi stakeholder national dialogue organized by the Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet). A key theme of the dialogue was the need for partnership, networking, and collaboration to address water-related challenges arising from climate change, especially for vulnerable populations impacted by it.
Nile Basin Initiative: A documentary that shows the story behind the NELSAP-CU
As the Nile Day celebrations are coming up (February 22), we wanted to spotlight a recent documentary produced by our partner, the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program NELSAP-CU. It showcases
how countries have jointly implemented transboundary projects in the Nile River Basin, one of the two investment arms of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and supported by the CIWA Program.Watch here.
Save the date for these upcoming events
3rd Annual regional international forum of the development of the Lake Chad Region. May 28-20, 2024.
In N’Djamena, the Forum will convene development practitioners to a dialogue on development strategy and operational solutions to address the challenges of climate change and conflict, support economic recovery, repair the social contract, and address the needs of women, youth and the most vulnerable in the Lake Chad region.
10th World Water Forum. May 18-25, 2024.
The World Water Forum is the largest international gathering in the water sector involving various stakeholders. This year in Bali, Indonesia: the heads of state, the heads of international organizations, high level government officials, experts, scholars, entrepreneurs and economists from all over the world will share their knowledges, experiences, and practices regarding a wide range of topics related to water.
CIWA’s social media engagement
#Gender inequality remains an issue in #water mgm't, limiting #women's access to water resources and decision-making power ♀️⚖️💧
— World Bank Water (@WorldBankWater) December 30, 2023
Learn how @CIWAprogram is addressing this through initiatives like the #MaleChampionForum in our NEW Annual Report 📄https://t.co/QsGfoIR2yI pic.twitter.com/mvPqRTu2P8
Currently underway in Kigali is the 6th Implementation Support Mission (ISM) by the @WorldBank for the $30-million project, “Nile Cooperation for #ClimateResilience” (NCCR), which is funded by @ciwaprogram. The aim of the ISM is to follow up on project progress. #NileCooperation pic.twitter.com/igJKQ0DTNc
— NileBasin Initiative (@nbiweb) November 13, 2023
Very much looking forward to this, representing @WorldBankWater & @ciwaprogram. Key to increase financing to transboundary water management in support of water security, development & growth as well as climate resilience & conflict prevention@SarojJha001 @BoutheinaGuerm1 https://t.co/1jH2fSgMjC
— Anders Jägerskog (@AndersJagerskog) November 23, 2023
📢 EVENT!
— Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (@ciwaprogram) November 28, 2023
Join @CIWAprogram and the @WorldBank tomorrow for a FREE #data and #analytics workshop 📊🛰️💧
Explore analytical tools and skills for better decision-making and management of #transboundary #water resources 🌊 🫱🏿🫲🏽
Register FREE here 👉🏾 https://t.co/7sX3mzIvaK pic.twitter.com/U8CNn2RCPn
ABOUT CIWA
CIWA, a multi-donor partnership, continues to support riparian governments in West, East, Central, and Southern Africa and their path toward more sustainable, data-driven, community-focused, and collaborative management of transboundary waters.
Learn more about our program activities on our English and French Websites. And do follow us on Twitter @CIWAProgram.
A special thank you to our editorial team, partners, reviewers and authors. Photo Credits: Shutterstock and Unsplash Images, World Bank/ Flickr