Join For Water’s advocacy across Africa in 2025
Across Africa, climate change is increasingly felt through water ; floods, droughts, pollution, ecosystem degradation, and growing pressure on governance systems. As climate impacts intensify, one reality is becoming clear: we are and we will be faced with too much, too little, and too dirty water.
In 2025, Join For Water and its partners strengthened advocacy efforts across multiple countries to ensure that climate responses place water, ecosystems, and communities at their core. From national climate policy dialogue to local governance and ecosystem protection, advocacy has remained a key lever to translate field realities into lasting change.
Uganda: collective advocacy for climate-resilient water resources
In Uganda, Join For Water’s advocacy, together with our partners, focused on strengthening collective action through its active membership in the Uganda Water and Sanitation Network (UWASNET). Through this platform, civil society organisations engaged in national dialogue on climate resilience, water governance, and ecosystem protection, ensuring that adaptation strategies reflect local realities and community priorities.
This engagement was reinforced in October 2025, when Join For Water, together with the Ministry of Water and Environment and Nature Uganda, co-organised the 2nd National Wetlands Dialogue, under the theme of wetlands for climate action. The dialogue positioned wetlands as critical nature-based solutions for climate adaptation ; buffering floods, sustaining livelihoods, and protecting water quality. It also most importantly provided a space for government, civil society, academia, and development partners to align priorities.
Advocacy is closely linked to field action. In the Mpanga River catchment, Join For Water supports community-led river cleanups and restoration initiatives that connect pollution control, ecosystem health, and climate resilience. In parallel, collaboration with partners such as Kyaninga Forest Foundation (KFF) has highlighted how wildfires and forest degradation undermine water regulation and watershed stability, reinforcing the role of forests and catchments in climate strategies.
Mali: making water a strategic climate sector
In Mali, advocacy efforts in 2025 focused on strengthening national climate commitments. As a member of the Partenariat National de l’Eau du Mali (PNE Mali), Join For Water contributed to a collective initiative targeting the revision of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 2025).
A petition letter was formally addressed to the Minister of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development, calling for the recognition of water as a specific and strategic sector within the NDC, rather than treating it solely as a transversal issue. Supported by more than fifty national and international water sector actors, the letter was accompanied by a technical guide outlining concrete pathways for integrating water as a dedicated component of Mali’s revised climate framework.
This initiative reinforced civil society’s influence in national climate dialogue and highlighted water’s central role in climate adaptation, food security, and ecosystem resilience.
Burundi: civil society as a driver of climate and water governance
In Burundi, Join For Water’s advocacy in 2025 focused on strengthening civil society organisations (CSOs) as key actors in environmental governance and climate adaptation. Through the PASCALE-B IBIDUKIKIJE project, implemented with local partners and supported by the European Union, Join For Water contributed to building the capacities of CSOs active in water, biodiversity, and ecosystem protection.
More than 80 organisations received training in project management, environmental awareness, and advocacy, while 16 local initiatives were supported through micro-grants. These grassroots actions from tree planting and anti-erosion systems to WASH facilities in schools and the revegetation of lake buffer zones provide concrete evidence that strengthens advocacy and policy dialogue. Find out more : La société civile, moteur du changement | Join For Water
By strengthening links between local action and national decision-making, the initiative demonstrates how empowered civil society is essential for resilient water governance in a changing climate.
Democratic Republic of Congo: water as a tool for local democracy
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Join For Water’s advocacy highlights water as a lever for local democracy and accountability. In fragile governance contexts, access to water services is closely linked to citizen participation and trust in public institutions.
Advocacy efforts focused on strengthening dialogue between communities and local authorities, supporting citizen oversight of water services, and promoting inclusive decision-making. These actions show how improved water governance can contribute to social cohesion while strengthening climate resilience at local level.
Benin: ecosystem-based advocacy and governance innovation
In Benin, advocacy efforts in the Ouémé Valley addressed climate challenges through ecosystem-based solutions and governance reform. Three main themes guided the work: mobilising innovative resources for waterways and agricultural drainage services; securing sustainable access to wetlands for riparian communities; and improving local governance of mangrove ecosystems.
Significant changes were achieved, including the sacralisation of forests as a protection mechanism, community savings schemes linked to ecosystem restoration, and improved access routes in mangrove areas. Advocacy efforts showed that strengthening the enabling conditions for sustainable financing is key to maintaining waterways over time, leading to a strategic shift in policy engagement.
A shared advocacy vision
Across countries and contexts, Join For Water’s advocacy in 2025 reflects a shared conviction: climate justice begins with water justice. By connecting community action with national and international policy spaces, Join For Water continues to advocate for climate solutions that protect rivers, wetlands, and the people who depend on them ensuring that water remains at the heart of climate action across Africa and beyond.