SADC Integrated Water Resources Management Initiative (SADC–WIN): Taking Communities Beyond Short Term Relief

Special session at the annual WaterNet Symposium

UNESCO and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have collaborated in the development of a flagship programme called the "SADC Integrated Water Resources Management Initiative" (SADC–WIN), which was launched by six water ministers from SADC member states during the 2017 World Water Day celebrations in Durban, South Africa. In light of the increasing water-related challenges facing the Southern Africa region, such as the El Niño events, SADC-WIN seeks to enhance livelihoods as well as water, food and energy security in the region by building resilience to recurrent extreme weather events through improved water management. The programme is mindful that in order to address the root causes of the food and energy security crises, resilience building and improving people's livelihoods, an integrated holistic approach is required. Thus, the project is anchored on four pillars: 

1. Strengthening planning, policies and strategies;

2. Early warning, hazard mapping, disaster risk management 

3. Demonstration, innovation, action research and learning alliances; and 

4. Institutional and human capacity development and awareness raising. 

The SADC-WIN UNESCO session Taking Communities Beyond Short Term Relief will create a platform to deliberate on the progress of the programme since its inception in 2017. Specifically, the session will present some findings from the different projects that have been implemented and/or are currently being implemented under the SADC-WIN programme. The session will also allow for a stakeholder engagement as well as formulating a way forward in order to scale up the current and other initiatives foreseen under SADC-WIN.

Format

The format of the Special Session is a Plenary Discussion where keynote speakers will offer formal presentations on topics under the different pillars of the SADC-WIN Programme. A Question and Answer Session will follow the presentations.

Targeted Audience

Water resources planners and managers, representatives from river basin organizations, biosphere reserve managers, environmentalists, climate change experts, researchers and policy makers, young water professionals.