Page 8 - CIWA AR25

Foreword

FOREWORD

Water is essential for health, food security, jobs, and economies. Strengthening cooperation
But Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and its transboundary waters

amid fragility and conflict
continue to be a global hotspot of risks—along with opportunities.
The challenges of climate change and FCV strain riparian

The damaging effects of climate change; insufficient water relations, yet countries continued to cooperate over shared

resources management; and rising fragility, conflict, and violence waters, thanks in large measure to the work of regional basin

(FCV) continued to roil the continent in the fiscal year that ended organizations, supported and strengthened by the CIWA
June 30, 2025. program and the platforms it provides for dialogue.
FCV is a major factor in many of the countries where the By offering opportunities for discussions and information sharing
Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA) works, between countries, these platforms have lessened cross‑

including South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo country tensions during times of conflict. And they enabled CIWA
(DRC), Chad, and parts of Ethiopia. Strengthening cooperation to address the immediate needs of countries in FCV contexts while
over shared waters is more important than ever to mitigate FCV in providing sustained engagement even amid volatile circumstances.
Africa because transboundary water-related risks such as floods

and droughts often exceed the capacity of governments and Burundi, Tanzania, and Rwanda, for example, continued to
institutions to adapt, fueling more fragility. participate in meetings of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) despite
otherwise strained political relations. CIWA is also addressing two
The Horn of Africa and East Africa are facing flooding after five of South Sudan’s most urgent barriers to sustainable development,

consecutive years of water scarcity. In South Sudan, heavy flooding peace, and stability by assessing the country’s resilience to climate

has intensified the humanitarian crisis stemming from neighboring change and determining how to strengthen interventions for

conflicts, including an influx of more than 576,000 refugees and refugees and host communities alike.
causing 2 million people to be internally displaced. These pressures

challenge already-constrained water resources management As fiscal year 2025 (FY25) drew to a close, CIWA and the Nile
caused by fragmented and under-resourced institutions and limited Basin Discourse (NBD) launched the Nile Civil Society for Climate
water infrastructure. That’s why the launch of the CIWA-supported Resilience (NCSCR) project. The two-and-a-half-year recipient-
Nile Basin Flash Flood Early Warning System (NB-FFEWS), which executed grant to the NBD will provide a platform for citizen
completed its first full year of operation in June 2025, promises to be engagement in basin water investment decisions and riparian

an essential tool for South Sudan and other Nile countries. dialogue, learning on climate risk-management and resilience-building

strategies, and promotion of the benefits of cooperation. The project
In West Africa, alternating floods and droughts have shown the includes working with communities to generate citizen data on water

need for increased preparedness in the face of climate shocks and climate change impacts to inform national and transboundary

on transboundary waters. Seasonal rains and floods policies. And when communities produce information,
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causing displacement Nations Water Conference.
and diminished crop
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AI-JU HUANG
Deputy Program Manager
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