The programmes, projects and contributions of the Global Programme Water meet key global challenges related to the management of water resources, including access to drinking water and the use of water for agriculture, industry and households. By focusing on inequity and poverty, they contribute to the reduction of global risks and the realization of a water-secure world.
The Global Programme Water currently runs 45 operational projects and initiatives at bilateral and multilateral levels. Most of them have innovation and policy components. The Global Programme Water with its 14 specialists acts as a centre of competence and maintains partnerships with academia, the public and private sector, civil society organizations.
The GPW hosts and moderates the thematic network RésEAU, which cuts across all the SDC units and partners involved or interested in the issue of water for development. The networking is important to make meaningful contributions to the dialogue on global water issues – and to enhance the relevance, coherence and effectiveness of the field operations and policy interventions in the water sector. In addition, the GPW works closely with the Global Programme Food Security, on efficient and sustainable use and management of water for agriculture, and with the Global Programme Climate Change, on adaptation to climate change that directly impacts the water cycle, and thus the availability of water.
Main objectives of the Global Programme Water
- Young People & Gender Equality: To empower women and young people as agents of change who exert influence on the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation and benefit from it.
- Water Solutions: To support the acceleration of the implementation of SDG 6 by developing innovative solutions for the valuing of water, sustainable financing, technologies, sustainable service delivery and water management models.
- Water Governance: To contribute to strengthening good water governance and its defining components on the global, regional and national levels, both in the public and private sectors. To ensure equitable and sustainable water management, while prioritising access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene.
- Water Voice: To enable Switzerland and SDC to position themselves as influential players in the international dialogue on water and sanitation. To ensure that availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation are prioritised on international agendas.
