27 June 2008: The first-ever international meeting to
discuss the role of groundwater in improving livelihoods in Africa under
conditions of rapid development and climate change, and one of the first
conferences in the world to discuss the impacts of development and climate
variability and change on groundwater resources, has recently concluded.

The event, entitled Groundwater and Climate in Africa–an
International Conference, took place from 24-27 June 2008, in Kampala, Uganda, and was organized by the University College London (UK), the Directorate of Water Development of
Uganda and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO)
International Hydrological Programme. The Conference brought together over
300 water scientists, managers and policy makers from 23 African countries and
14 countries from the rest of the world, and featured 96 presentations and over
20 hours of discussion time including two round-table discussions. The outcomes
of the Conference include a synthesis of these discussions, to be known as “The
Kampala Statement -Groundwater and Climate in Africa,” which will be made available
on the Conference website. [Conference website]