Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa

Press Release: 08/10/2010

Telling Simple Stories about Complex Water Issues in the SADC Region

Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa will be hosting a media workshop to
improve the knowledge of reporters and provide additional skills on
covering water issues in southern Africa. The training will be
conducted alongside the SADC Multi-stakeholder Water Dialogue,
scheduled from October 12-13 in Maun, Botswana. Participants include
print and radio journalists from SADC countries.

The SADC Water Dialogue mobilises different stakeholders to share
experiences in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The
Dialogue highlights how IWRM approaches can address key aspects of
socio-economic development and poverty eradication in Southern Africa.

Under the theme “Watering development in SADC: Towards Climate
Resilience through Benefit Sharing”, the Dialogue will focus on
exploring how the water sector, working with other key water-using and
influencing sectors, can contribute to climate resilient development
or by ensuring regional integration, poverty alleviation and economic
growth.

"Water is the most shared natural resource in SADC, and one on which a
large part of our population particularly those in the rural areas
depend on for their daily livelihoods. However very little is known
about its management imperatives, availability and access, that is why
it is important that all efforts are made to report through all
mediums of media on water and issues surrounding it," says Phera
Ramoeli, Senior Programme Officer at SADC Water.

This capacity development initiative is supported by the German
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in
delegated cooperation with the UK Department for International
Development (DFID) on behalf of the SADC Secretariat. The Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) is implementing the
partnership programme. IPS will also produce a special print edition
of the TerraViva newsletter for delegates at the SADC Dialogue.
Additional support will come from OneWorld and DANIDA.

The workshop is part of the IPS ‘Southern Africa Water Wire’ project,
which provides in-depth coverage of water-related issues in Southern
Africa, linking water to economic development, social well-being and
environmental protection. Visit www.africawaterwire.org for updates
from the region where journalists explore the challenges, difficulties
and success stories of managing this strategic natural resource.

* For more information or interviews please contact Terna Gyuse, IPS
Regional Editor, [email protected], or Werani Zabula, SADC Water,
[email protected]