Regional Coordinator for the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C), Dr. Roxanne Graham-Victor, highlighted the organisation’s contributions to sustainable wastewater and water management during the GEF CReW+ Closing Event, held in Panama City from April 21–24, 2026.
Speaking during the session, “Strengthening the Regional Architecture for Sustainable Wastewater Management,” moderated by Ms. Laverne Walker, Programme Management Officer for Marine Pollution, Cartagena Convention Secretariat, Dr. Graham-Victor outlined how GWP-C has helped advance Integrated Water and Wastewater Management (IWWM) across the Caribbean through capacity-building and country support, innovation and project pipeline development, and knowledge products and communications.
“Under GEF CReW+, that support took practical shape in different ways – from technical training and country engagement to innovation opportunities, to public awareness and knowledge products. What this shows is that strengthening wastewater management is not only about infrastructure; it is also about building skills, creating pathways to action, and making sure more stakeholders understand why this work matters,” said Dr. Graham-Victor.
In outlining capacity-building and country support, Dr. Graham-Victor pointed to regional technical training and national engagement that helped strengthen practical wastewater planning capacity. One example was the 2022 regional training on Shit Flow Diagrams, or SFDs, which brought together 28 participants from 13 Caribbean countries and territories. The training was designed to equip practitioners to prepare SFDs and use them in city-wide sanitation strategies. As a practical planning tool, SFDs can help policymakers and other leaders better understand how wastewater and excreta are managed, and where the main service, treatment, and disposal gaps remain.
She also noted that GWP-C’s support extended to innovation and project pipeline development, helping move beyond dialogue into implementation. This included the Young Caribbean Water Entrepreneurs Shark Tank, open calls for IWWM proposals, and support to approved projects. GWP-C’s published results note funded grantees in Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, and Panama, and say this marked the first time the collaboration was able to support projects on the ground in South America and Central America.
Under knowledge products and communications, Dr. Graham-Victor highlighted how GWP-C supported public-facing outreach to make wastewater and sanitation issues more accessible. These efforts included youth-created #WastewaterMatters videos, perspectives papers, regional IWWM video series, and dedicated workshops for youth and the media. Together, these activities helped raise awareness, encourage dialogue, and bring wastewater and sanitation issues into wider public discussion beyond technical circles
Dr. Graham-Victor said the programme also offered important lessons for the region.
“One of the clearest lessons is the work under GEF CReW+ that helped strengthen regional collaboration, support technical learning, and open pathways from ideas to implementation. At the same time, it also showed the importance of continuing to anchor these gains in stronger country-level systems so that progress can be sustained beyond individual projects,” she said.
The GEF CReW+ Closing Event brought together Caribbean and Latin American countries and regional partners to reflect on achievements under the project and to identify future opportunities for advancing sustainable wastewater management in the Caribbean. GWP-C welcomed the opportunity to contribute to these discussions and to share its experience in helping build a stronger regional foundation for integrated water and wastewater management.
