Sopra Steria Benelux is committed to the right to water, convinced that it represents one of the key challenges facing humanity over the coming decades. Everyone has a role to play to preserve the environment. Today, Sopra Steria Benelux is acting to improve the use of water resources within our own facilities and to promote education and sustainable water solutions in countries in need.
The project was carried out by Join For Water, a Belgian NGO specialized in water resource management - see also www.joinforwater.ngo. In Uganda Join For Water collaborates with 3 local partners who each have their specialized input. Uganda is 162nd on the list of the Human Development Index, and is therefore one of the poorest countries in spite of its natural resources.
Although Uganda is developing strongly, it also faces a number of important problems in the management of natural resources (including water resources). Although there is a sectoral approach and the legal framework is quite strong, policy implementation and monitoring are not effective. In addition, Uganda is also very vulnerable to climate change. There is considerable uncertainty about the impact of climate change on natural resources, but average temperatures are likely to increase by 1.5°C over the next 20 years. The effects will be felt in increased food insecurity, soil erosion, land degradation, floods, damage to infrastructure, etc., as well as the impact of climate change on natural resources. Many programmes claim to work on adaptation to climate change, but how is by no means always clear. That is why one of the priorities within the water sector is to respond to the above trends by managing natural resources based on the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWB). Join For Water therefore mainly focuses on the further development of policy whereby IWB is put into practice on the ground.
Results achieved in 2019
- Result 1: The communities in 2 river basins have improved access to water and sanitation thanks to the construction of new and sustainable infrastructure.
- Result 2: Local water management is improved thanks to better planning, more cooperation between stakeholders and the strengthening of their capacities.
- Result 3: The plans for sustainable land and water use are applied by the local population living around the 'hotspots' of small river basins (local integrated water management).
- Result 4: From the experience gained, best practices are documented and used for dissemination and advocacy at national level.
Read the full report by Join for Water