China Africa Water Association (CAWA) is an officially registered non-profit organization in the government of South Africa, which aims at advancing and promoting the exchange and cooperation between China and African countries in water resources management and water related environment protection. CAWA was founded in 2013 by a group of water scientists from Africa and China, including Prof Yongxin Xu, Chairholder of UNESCO Chair in Geohydrology and a professor of University of the Western Cape, Earth Sciences Department.

Current Chairperson of CAWA: Dr. Harrison Pienaar from CSIR in South Africa, Vice-Chairmen: Prof. Jianhua Cao from Guilin International Karst Center of China Geological Survey and Secretary-General: Prof. Yongxin Xu. The Secretary-General is responsible for the day to day managing of the organization. The organization hosts two Secretariats based at University of the Western Cape in South Africa and the Hebei University of Engineering and the other relevant institutes in China, respectively. Under the CAWA organization, the Youth League and the Centre for Popular Water Related Science Education were also established.

  Within the Young League under CAWA (YLCAWA), the positions of chairperson of the League are held by Prof. Dedi Liu of the Wuhan University in China and Prof. Ranya Aly Amer of the African Urban Scientific Research and Technology Application in Egypt, and Dr. Jiabo Yin of the Wuhan University in China, who serves as the Secretary General for the League. Furthermore a platform, to promote the exchange of ideas, research and international cooperation among young premising scientists from China and Africa in water science and technology, was built by YLCAWA, with a particular focus on promoting the application of hydrology and hydrogeology in research and aplication. At the same time, the League was able to offer water science-related help for young scientists in both China and Africa.

The Centre for Popular Water Related Science Education under the CAWA is important branch and channel of the CAWA which helps to drive publicity and public education on water science and Technology, by producing a various of water science-related micro-videos and feature films in China and Africa. Using means of external information and science education, it makes people understand the status of the natural features and water resources research and development in China and Africa much intuitively and deeply. The Center has its own production team led by Professor Xiaochi Li as the Director who is responsible for planning and editing of the center productions.

CAWA permits institutions to join as a collective membership. The members who joined to CAWA would have signed Memorandum of Agreement with the CAWA Secretariat. Recently, a newly added list includes Guilin International Karst Center of China Geological Survey, School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Wuhan University, Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute, Changjiang Water Resources Commission, Changsha Strategic Alliance of Technological Innovation of Ecological Industry Sponge City and Tianjin Xingtong Jiuheng Technology Co., Ltd.

The main objective of the CAWA is to facilitate collaboration among water scholars in academic institutions and in China and Africa, and to provide a platform for the exchange of technology and knowledge through projects. Since 2013, 7 China-Africa Water Forums had been organized in China and African countries. These include, Egypt, Ethiopia and Namibia to name a few. The purpose of Forum is to try and boost a lasting partnership within developing countries among China and Africa and collaborate on the sustainable development of water resources.

In a constant changing environment, enormous challenge of human development is faced both in China and Africa with a similar keynote of water resource management, especially from the viewpoint of research and development. Water resources as the vital factor in achieving sustainable development is realized in both regions. At present, the centers of water resources in multi-agency and countries need to build long-term alliances in order to achieve the ambitious goals for African development. Therefore, the centers could depend on the academic platform of CAWA to establishing key global partnerships for each other.

Chantal Carnow, Thokozani Kanyerere

Secretariat of South Africa

unescochair@uwc.ac.za, tkanyerere@uwc.ac.za

Feng Jia, Jihong Qi

Secretariat of China

270191612@qq.com, 44755900@qq.com