Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa water, Sanitation May-June2015 Vol. 10 No.3 | Page 13

NEWS in brief

Global Highlights

What’s new
The report begins by describing a world in the not-sodistant future in which water resources and water-related
services are managed in such a way that the benefits derived
from water and maximized and shared equitably throughout
the world.
This vision is not merely a fictional utopian outlook; it is a
future that is entirely achievable, a future in which water is
recognized and managed as the fundamental resource that
supports all aspects of sustainable development. This vision
represents a new and innovative approach to the WWDR,
prompting readers to reflect on how our world could be,
provided appropriate changes are made to the way water
resources are perceived and managed.
Western Canada to lose 70 percent of glaciers by
2100

In the Coast and St. Elias
Mountains, the Frank
Mackie region contains
substantial ice cover that
straddles the CanadaUS border. Glaciers are
expected to continue
to retreat in both the
high emissions (shown
here) and low emissions
scenarios. Credit:
Copyright Garry Clarke

Seventy per cent of glacier ice in British
Columbia and Alberta could disappear
by the end of the 21st century, creating
major problems for local ecosystems,
power supplies, and water quality, according to a new study
by University of British Columbia researchers.

The study found that while warming temperatures are
threatening glaciers in Western Canada, not all glaciers are
retreating at the same rate. The Rocky Mountains, in the
drier interior, could lose up to 90 per cent of its glaciers.
The wetter coastal mountains in northwestern B.C. are only
expected to lose about half of their glacier volume.
“Most of our ice holdouts at the end of the century will be
in the northwest corner of the province,” said Garry Clarke,
professor emeritus in the Department of Earth, Ocean and
Atmospheric Sciences. “Soon our mountains could look like
those in Colorado or California and you don’t see much ice
in those landscapes.”
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Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • May - June 2015

For the study, researchers used observational data, computer
models and climate simulations to forecast the fate of
individual glaciers.
Source: University of British Columbia.

Government of Japan gives USD 51 million for UNHabitat executed projects in Asia, Arab States and
Africa
Nairobi - With the contribution of USD50.93
million from the Government of Japan, UNHabitat will implement projects in Asia, Arab
States and Africa.
The projects set to benefit from the generous contribution
are in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar
and South Sudan. They will touch on many aspects of the
beneficiaries’ livelihoods ranging from addressing the urgent
needs of the most vulnerable households to the establishment
of IDPs prefab shelter sites. Some of those targeted will also
benefit from the provision of shelter and water, sanitation
and hygiene (WASH) assistance as well as flood protection,
water and sanitation and livelihoods for returnees and IDPs.
On his part, UNHabitat
Executive
Director Dr. Joan Clos,
hailed the landmark
grant saying it came
at the most opportune
time. “At UN-Habitat
we are always seeking
development partners
to help us execute our
mandate. Japan has been one of strongest development
partners to UN-Habitat over years, and I would like to take
this opportunity to express our deepest appreciation towards
Japan’s continued contribution.”
New Mandate guidance on ensuring integrity in
water stewardship initiatives
The CEO Water Mandate and the Water Integrity
Network (WIN) – in collaboration with GIZ (the project
sponsor), Water Witness International, Pegasys Institute,
and Partnerships in Practice, Ltd – are in the final stages
of our work to provide guidance and tools that can help
support high levels of integrity and transparency in multistakeholder water stewardship initiatives (WSIs). Drawing
on the experiences of pioneering WSI practitioners, project
outputs include an integrity management framework and
a suite of practical supporting tools that guide companies
and their partners toward positive, impactful water-related
collective action. The project is currently in its final stages
with an expected public release date in early May 2015.