The Australian Water Partnership (AWP), in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), will launch new short courses on climate change and water for partners in the Indo-Pacific.
The AWP Climate Change and Water Short Courses will strengthen the suite of Australia Awards opportunities already available through the Australian Government’s international development cooperation program. They will build on a series of recent courses on climate adaptation and renewable energy in the Pacific.
The courses will engage students from the public, private, non-government and research sectors on water resources management (WRM) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices for achieving water security in the face of climate change. Gender equality, disability and social inclusion objectives will be woven through the program.
The courses will help participants to understand the multidisciplinary nature of climate change and its impact on WRM and WASH, and equip them to apply policy and planning approaches within their organisations at the regional, national, and local levels. Participants will also gain a valuable professional network through a climate change and water community of practice.
A diverse team of world-leading experts—led by the Griffith University’s International Water Centre, Climate Action Beacon, and Australian Rivers Institute—will design and deliver the courses in partnership with Alluvium. Delivery partners include the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney; University of Newcastle; Asian Disaster Preparedness Center; Talanoa Consulting; and Griffin NRM.
“The Australian Water Partnership is so pleased to collaborate with our capable partners and DFAT to support the establishment of the Australia Awards Climate Change and Water Short Courses,” says AWP Chief Executive Michael Wilson.
“They will answer an urgent need for knowledge sharing, capacity building and establishment of an inclusive community of practice to address water security challenges in our region, thereby enabling people to build resilience and adapt to climate change which represents the greatest threat to lives and livelihoods of people throughout the Indo-Pacific.”
Australia Awards are prestigious international scholarships and short courses offering the next generation of global leaders an opportunity to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia. For more than 70 years Australian Government scholarship programs have supported Australia’s foreign, trade and economic objectives around the world by strengthening people-to-people links with key policy and decision-makers. Short courses contribute to this legacy as targeted programs of intensive training and networking for selected cohorts to address specific technical or soft skills gaps.
AWP will launch the courses in early 2022. To receive updates on the courses, including launch dates, subscribe to the AWP newsletter here.
The short courses are just one aspect of AWP’s commitment to sharing Australia’s expertise and knowledge in water management for climate adaptation. AWP will be hosting a session at COP26 titled ‘Water for Climate Adaptation: Asia-Pacific Perspectives’ in Glasgow on 8 November and is inviting partners and the public to join virtually and contribute to its storytelling theme.
