The First General Assembly of the Asia Water Council (AWC) took place on March 24th to 26th, 2016, in Bali, Indonesia. The AWC is a global water organization, comprised of international organizations, multilateral development banks, Asian governments, public organizations, and research institutes, focused on developing a consensus and sustainable network in order to find solutions to Asia’s water problems. The AWC is divided between seven Special Committees including: Strategy and Policy, Standardization, Smart Water Management Initiative, Water-Energy-Food Nexus, Water-Aid Program, Water Education, and Knowledge Base and Dissemination. GIWEH became a member of the Asia Water Council in August 2015 and holds the position of Vice Chairperson of the “Knowledge Base and Dissemination Special Committee” (KB&D).

In 2016, The KB&D Special Committee will continue its work on the creation of a dynamic database titled, “Asia Dynamic Hub for Water: the Power of Information.” This project is a Priority for Implementation (PFI) for the AWC, as the information gap on water-related issues is one of the main challenges faced by Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) seen across Asia. The database will provide useful information on free, open-source software for all Asian member states, to distribute reliable and transparent information aiming to provide feasible water management solutions for leaders.

As part of the KB&D Special Committee, GIWEH will also contribute and work on the implementation of four projects in Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Thailand. As of now, the Indonesia and Mongolia projects have been approved to: implement IWRM strategy in Jabodetabek, Indonesia, and update Mongolian policy to align with the SDGs and Paris Agreement, respectively.  While approval is still pending, the KB&D Committee is the leading Special Committee for the Water Project, “Comprehensive Study for Additional Water Supply from Nearby Basins to Chao Phraya River Basin” in Thailand. This project aims to research the current water availability and conditions of the Chao Phraya River Basin, as well as the status’ of nearby basins. Then, the project will develop proper alternative plans to effectively respond to the increasing drought in the Chao Phraya River Basin.