IOWater - International News

2 The News N° 28 - February 2018 international events This African Great Lakes Conference, organized by The Nature Conservancy with the support of many partners and sponsors, including INBO, provided a regional framework for jointly discussing the challenges to be faced and ensuring conservation and sustainable development. More than 200 representatives from local and national governments, African Great Lakes Basin Organizations (Lake Albert, Lake Edward, Lake Kivu, Lake Malawi / Nyasa / Niassa, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Turkana and Lake Victoria), donors, academic institutions, the private sector and non-governmental organizations, discussed ways to improve the management of river/lake basins and associated resources in this vast region spanning 850,000 km², where 12 countries share the benefits of rich biodiversity. In addition to the speeches of its representa- tives and partners, of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), the Congo-Ubangui- Sangha International Commission (CICOS) and the Volta Basin Authority (VBA), in three thematic sessions (Governance and Financing at Basin Level - Climate Change Impacts, Mitigation, Adaptation, - Balancing Conservation and Development), INBO coordinated two events : l The AfriAlliance workshop, organized in partnership with the International Office for Water, (IOWater), which brought together around 40 participants to identify the challenges and solutions related to water and climate in the region. l A side event on “The Legacy of COP22 and the Global Alliances for Water and Climate”, that gathered more than 80 people to discuss case studies on climate change adaptation in basins. In his speech at the closing session of the Conference, Mr. Jean-François Donzier, Secretary General of INBO, reminded that basins of national or transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers are the places where appropriate and «no regret» measures must be taken without delay to adapt water resources to the effects of climate change. 4 The African Great Lakes Conference: 2-5 May 2017 - Entebbe, Uganda The XVI World Water Congress focused on “Bridging Science and Policy” and was held in Cancun, Mexico. It was organized jointly by the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), the National Water Commission of Mexico (CONAGUA) and the National Association of Water and Sanitation Services (ANEAS). The purpose of the Congress was to facilitate cooperation and coordination among professionals in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to water, as well as the climate agreements established under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) actively participated in this Congress. It facilitated a Special Session ”Implementing the Global Action Agenda for Climate and Water (GCAA-Water)”. A meeting of the Global Alliances for Water and Climate that were created at the COP22 in Marrakech and of which INBO is the Secretariat also took place on this occasion. For the first time, a special session was also devoted to vocational training for water professionals, including leaders and partners of Basin Organizations. 4 XVI World Water Congress 29 May - 2 June 2017 - Cancun - Mexico More than 200 participants Mr. Jean-François Donzier, INBO Secretary General, participated in the High Level Panel on Water and Climate © INBO - C.Runel