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1 Mar 2024
First ever report on the status of migratory species reveals critical decline of freshwater species
In the context of the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS, which entered into force in 1983), the first ever global report on the status of migratory species has been published. Researched and written for CMS by conservation scientists at the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), the report provides an overview of the status of billions of migratory animals, which travel to a variety of habitats for feeding, breeding and resting, and contribute to the maintenance of these ecosystems during their stay...
1 Mar 2024
Interview with Action Against Hunger on the humanitarian situation in Rafah
The Water Diplomat has received feedback from Action Against Hunger on the humanitarian situation in Rafah following the development of complex and difficult conditions for humanitarian organisations. The British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, warned on the 12th of February that Israel would be in breach of international law if it fails to provide food and water to the people of Gaza...
22 Feb 2024
Critical transitions in Amazon Forest may affect water supplies
In an article published in the influential magazine Nature on the 14th of February, a group of 25 researchers have warned that up to 47% of the Amazon Forest is unstable and could reach a tipping point if not further protected, with consequences for water supplies across the region. The researchers analysed the existing evidence for five major drivers of water stress in the Amazon basin...
19 Feb 2024
ICRC Concludes ten-year water programme in northern Jordan
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has concluded its water programme in northern Jordan and is handing over its work to local authorities, and it has also shared lessons learned with other actors with longer term presence in the region. Over the past decade, the ICRC has worked to improve access to sufficient domestic water for both Jordanian host communities and Syrian refugees in Jordan’s northern governorates...
6 Feb 2024
Rand Water Board Executive Killed at Community Event
Teboho Joala, an executive member of South Africa’s Rand Water Board, was shot dead in full view of hundreds of primary school children on the 29th of January. The incident took place at Zakarriya Park Community Centre in the south of Johannesburg, where Rand Water was hosting a ‘back to school ‘ event at which it was handing out school uniforms...
6 Feb 2024
Water Resources at the Centre of conflict in Taizz Governorate in Yemen
On the 16th of January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its World Report 2024 which makes mention of direct attacks on water infrastructure by parties to the conflict in Yemen. According to HRW, both Houthi and Yemeni government forces have violated residents’ right to water in the governorate of Taizz since the Houthis laid siege to it 2015...
5 Feb 2024
Realising the Green Climate Fund’s vision for water security
South Africa’s Water Reuse Programme, a U.S. $ 1.5 billion project developed in partnership with the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and others seeks to overhaul the country’s wastewater system and reuse treated wastewater as a response to increasing demand for the resource...
5 Feb 2024
Human wellbeing is irrevocably tied to the state of the world’s wetlands.
From filtering water to mitigating climate change and supporting livelihoods, wetland ecosystems provide vital services that sustain us. Wetlands are essential, unique, biodiverse, ecosystems. They may be saltwater or freshwater, inland or coastal, natural, or human-made, permanent, or temporary, static, or flowing...
5 Feb 2024
African Water Facility approves $ 830,000 grant for improved water supply in Lusaka City
The African Water Facility reported on the 22nd of December 2023 that it has approved a €830,000 grant which will go towards the preparation of a Lusaka City Water Supply Improvement Project in Zambia. The project will involve undertaking a feasibility study, detailed designs, and all relevant activities required to prepare a bankable investment project in Lusaka city...
5 Feb 2024
Key catalytic interventions needed from development partners in the sanitation sector
At the 7th edition of the International Water Association’s (IWA’s) Water and Development Congress and Exhibition (WDCE), governments and other stakeholders shared views on new approaches with the potential to accelerate progress in the field of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The conference, held in Kigali, Rwanda in mid-December 2023, took place against the background of a general recognition that the world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation...
4 Feb 2024
AfDB to invest in urban sanitation in four African countries
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced its intention to commence investment in city wide inclusive sanitation in Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and Sierra Leone during 2024. The initial grant under this programme is expected to have a value of around U.S. $ 6 million, and it falls within the updated Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII) of the bank’s African Water Facility...
2 Feb 2024
WHO develops guidance on waste and wastewater management in pharmaceutical production
On the 21st of December 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced a call for feedback on a draft document on the emission of antibiotics during pharmaceutical manufacturing. While the largest proportion of pharmaceuticals that reach the environment originates from their use by patients, the highest environmental concentrations found are the result of pollution from manufacturing...