The following are some 'knowledge' sound bytes published in the Earth Negotiations Bulletin on the Summary of the Pan-African Implementation and Partnership Conference on Water that was held 8-12 December 2003.
...Presenting on the vulnerability of water resources to environmental change, Hans Beekman, United Nations Environment Programme - UNEP, said that vulnerability assessments should include water quality, climate variability, pollution, urbanization, competition for water, data availability and knowledge gaps...
...On Tuesday, 9 December, Eberhard Braune presented recommendations for ministerial consideration, which include the need to: develop capacity at all levels; strengthen partnerships with international training institutes; improve monitoring and assessment programmes; find new ways to disseminate information and share knowledge; and reinforce the link between the scientific community and decision-makers and civil society...
...Abby Mgugu, Southern African Development Community (SADC ) Regional Coordinator for Women’s Land and Water Rights, chaired a session on water and gender. Mildred Mkandla, EarthCare, presented on a rainwater harvesting pilot project in Kenya, which seeks to empower women to own, control and manage their water resources. Delegates underlined the critical role women in developing countries play in the management of water resources, particularly at the household level, while often lacking access to land and financial resources to participate in the decision-making process. The session concluded that gender concerns need to be taken into account in terms of policy formulation, resource allocation, development of technology and training programmes, and management of facilities. They also stressed the need to recognize and promote indigenous knowledge systems and to develop information systems that are gender disaggregated and easily accessible at all levels...
Douglas Merrey, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), presented the final report "WaterDome" on water-related World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) outcomes. Efua Dzameshie, Young Volunteers for the Environment, said sustainable water management needs to be community-driven and focused on the poor, and stressed the need to: involve women and youth; improve knowledge management, including traditional knowledge; and build capacity for Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM).
K-Collector Topics: communication Knowledge Management Earth Africa