THE SMALL EARTH NEPAL

Introduction

World Water Day (WWD) is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. It encourages action by governments, organizations, communities, and individuals around the world to actively engage in addressing water issues and management challenges.

In Nepal too, the Day used to be commemorated by different organizations working in the water sector through different activities. However, there was lacking a joint effort of all stakeholders to come up with a single platform to advocate water issues in Nepal for better management of freshwater resources and sustainable utilization. Realizing the lacking The Small Earth Nepal (SEN) along with Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS)/GoN initiated to connect all water stakeholders at a common platform through Nepal National Water and Weather Week (NNWWW), a national level network of water stakeholders to commemorate WWD, to initiate dialogue on water issues in a joint effort since 2009. The NNWWW is chaired by WECS where over 45 organizations including governmental and non-governmental agencies and private sectors, academia and youth-led organizations involve together. SEN has been serving as the secretariat for NNWWW since its beginning. The event is a common platform to share and discuss the various issues related to water and weather, and come up with some policy resolutions.

Objectives

NNWWW focuses on celebrating World Water Day (22 March) and World Meteorological Day (March 23) together through a week long water related policy dialogues, researches, workshops, advocacy, and awareness events in Nepal. The NNWWW aims to celebrate the days nationwide and advocate it in a joint effort from various sectors. The major objectives of the NNWWW are: to intensify discussion on water related issues focusing on water and sustainable management of water resources in Nepal, to make aware related stakeholder, from policy makers to general public on the importance of sustainable management of water, and to bring together the organizations and institutes working in water and environment sectors in a single platform to establish an umbrella organization, proposed as Nepal Water Forum, to bridge the gap among organization in Nepal and as a Government’s water focal point.

 Activities

Activities of the NNWWW are categorized into four themes: awareness, capacity building, research, and advocacy. Awareness raising activities are designed mainly for general public and school students. However, some of the awareness activities are also focused to policy makers to enhance their knowledge of understanding. University students are involved in capacity building and research projects. Advocacy activities are targeted to policy makers mainly law makers and bureaucrats with the involvement of various stakeholders.