The significant links and interdependencies between the targets of SDG 6 on water and sanitation and those of other goals highlight the central role of water within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Within SDG6, the SDG6.5 target on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is particularly well aligned with GWP’s mission. Together with UNEP/DHI, the custodian agency for SDG6.5, the GWP secretariat is currently scoping and designing a multi-year program that would empower GWP country water partnerships in mobilizing implementation action across relevant actors, ministries, and GWP partners – in the context of an ongoing dialogue about the assessment of progress towards SDG6.5.   The program will be at the core of the emerging new GWP strategy and is also one of the anchors for thought leadership on IWRM Implementation within country level realities and experiences.

The Sr. Water Resources Management Specialist/SDG6 Program is responsible for designing the program and for coordinating the range of direct SDG support initiatives being implemented under the program. This coordination involves (i) global support and creative design of worldwide activities on knowledge generation and exchange, (ii) working with regional GWP teams on the management of a range of country-level projects and initiatives, including on ensuring the latest thinking and insights on IWRM are being shared and infused into activities at the regional and local level, and (ii) liaising with appropriate funding partners as needed, both globally and, as appropriate, also advising regional and country teams in their fund-raising. The role requires close collaboration with GWP staff at country and regional levels as well as with colleagues from the GWPO Secretariat and key strategic partners, in particular at UNEP/DHI.  It requires good understanding of multi-stakeholder processes and ideally experience and talent in facilitating such processes.

The Sr. Water Resources Management Specialists/SDG6 Program will lead a small team directly, comprised of 1-3 other staff/interns, while mobilizing and coaching teams across the Network “from behind”.  The position is located within the GWP Secretariat’s Network Operations team, reports to the Head of Network Operations/COO and works closely with the GWP Executive Secretary in matters relating to the global positioning of GWP’s SDG6 work.

As part of the Belmont Forum-funded Food-Water-Energy for Urban Sustainable Environments (FUSE) project and the Austrian Development Agency-funded project ''Scaling resilient water and agricultural systems'' in East Africa (scaleWAys), the IIASA Water Program is offering a position for a research scholar (postdoctoral level) in Water Resource and Agricultural Economics. The successful candidate will work on further developing and implementing the in-house hydro-economic modeling framework (ECHO) and applying it in the framework of the FUSE project, as well as conducting research on up-scaling of agricultural water management practices within the framework of the scaleWAys project. This will include the development of interfaces for integrating ECHO and the in-house models such as the hydrological model, Community Water Model (CWatM), and crop model AquaCrop, and the development and application of modules for agricultural and energy sectors within ECHO. The development of these linkages will help to consistently evaluate the effects of implementing innovative food-water-energy solutions, including new agricultural practices, infrastructure, policies, or small-scale interventions, needed to address water scarcity.

This project has been designed to strengthen capacity for environmental monitoring and information management in Albania by establishing an operational environmental information management and monitoring system (EIMS). The project will address the need for an environmental monitoring system that is integrated throughout relevant government institutions and that uses international monitoring standards for indicator development, data collection, analysis, and policy-making. It will also build on existing technical and institutional capacity in Albania to align its management and monitoring efforts with global monitoring and reporting priorities. Increased capacity in this area will improve reporting to the Rio Conventions and lay the groundwork for sustainable development through better-informed environmental policy.

The objectives of this task are:

• To outline the systemic nature and drivers behind the current system of environmental permits;
• To design a process and approach which would be inclusive of different stakeholder groups, and would address the systemic nature of challenges on environmental licensing;
• To ensure engagement of the public in the process of designing solutions, including through crowdsourcing of technological solutions;
• To oversee development of a range of solutions (policy, technological, participatory) which would comprehensively address the system.