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'I'm working for the environment and also for society'
María Belén Durán is the GEF’s Operational Focal Point in Ecuador, and the Coordinator of International Cooperation in the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment and Water. In an interview, she shared what she finds motivating about her work advancing her country’s environmental priorities.
What does your job in Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment and Water entail?
'From Source to Sea': embracing the complexity of international waters work
Christian Severin is the GEF’s Coordinator for the International Waters focal area. In an interview in advance of World Oceans Day, he charted his academic and professional path spanning all aspects of water management, from sanitation to irrigation to problem-solving around transboundary rivers and oceans. He also reflected on the power of a vibrant community of practice in the international waters space.
Scorecard measures nutrient pollution in Kenya’s Lake Naivasha
UN Environment has been working with a broad range of partners to better assess the health of lake ecosystems in India, Kenya and the Philippines.
Economic activity in and around Lake Naivasha, and the rapidly growing population, have placed mounting environmental pressure on this important source of freshwater in central southern Kenya.
Water, ecosystems and human development: fostering cooperation and building trust to cope with water scarcity
From August 26 to 31, experts, practitioners, decision-makers, business innovators and young professionals from a range of sectors and countries will meet in Stockholm, Sweden, for the World Water Week that this year focuses on 'water, ecosystems and human development'.
World Water Day 2018: Water for nature
Earlier this week, a new UN report issued a dire warning saying that 3.6 billion people, or half the world's population, already live in areas where water can be scarce for at least one month a year. Projections are that this number could go up to 5.7 billion people by 2050 if business as usual continues.
President of the Maldives opens new freshwater project
This week, the President of the Maldives, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom, opened a new GEF supported Integrated Water Supply System in the Maldives in a move to help protect the country’s freshwater resources.
The new water system on Thoddoo Island will harness harvested rainwater and desalinated salt water to meet the domestic demands of the island, helping to protect the island’s limited freshwater supply by reducing the over-extraction of groundwater. The GEF-funded project has leveraged an additional US$ 1 million from the Government of the Maldives.
The importance of water sustainability
Water is the largest natural resource but only 3% of it is freshwater, of which just 1/3 is accessible for use in agriculture and cities. The rest is frozen in glaciers or hidden too deep underground.
Today, the main water source for over 2 billion people are aquifers – underground stores of freshwater. As income levels have risen globally, so has the demand for water-intensive goods such as manufactured, meat, and dairy products, stressing global freshwater resources.