The Global Water Partnership (GWP) announced the launch of its new 2014-2019 global strategy today.

The strategy, Towards 2020, outlines a new direction for GWP with the goals of catalyzing change, sharing knowledge, and strengthening partnerships for a water secure world. The 2014-2019 Strategy builds on GWP’s previous work and achievements.  It was developed through a year-long process of regional dialogues and consultations with GWP’s growing network of over 3,000 Partner Organizations across 167 countries.

“The strategy Towards 2020 stresses the need for innovative and multi-sectoral approaches to adequately address the manifold threats and opportunities relating to sustainable water resource management in the context of climate change, rapid urbanization, and growing inequalities,” highlights Dr Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Chair of GWP.

Knowledge generation and communication continues to be a central part of GWP’s work with this strategy. “Knowledge and new tools are needed to support policy development and decision making and enable the effective and sustainable management of water resources,” says Dr Mohamed Ait-Kadi, GWP Technical Committee Chair. “Knowledge can stimulate behavioural change towards a new ‘water culture’. “

New to this strategy is a thematic approach in six key areas of development – climate change, transboundary cooperation, food, urbanisation, energy, and ecosystems. 

“Integrated water management is fundamental to all of these areas of the global development agenda. Our new thematic approach will ensure the crucial link to water security is made across these thematic focus areas for meeting sustainable development goals,” explains GWP Executive Secretary Dr Ania Grobicki.

The global launch of the strategy is taking place at the Official United Nations World Water Day celebrations taking place today in Tokyo, Japan.

The GWP Strategy Towards 2020 is available at www.gwp.org.

Background information

The Global Water Partnership (GWP) network is committed to building a water secure world. GWP is an intergovernmental organization and a global network of 13 Regional Water Partnerships, 85 Country Water Partnerships and over 3,000 Partner organizations in 167 countries. Since its inception in 1996, GWP network partners have worked with countries around the world to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable development.