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The 2nd Africa Water Week at the Gallagher Convention Center, Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa will be held from 9-13 November 2009! The African Ministers� Council on Water in keeping with its decision to institutionalize the annual African Water Week is pleased to announce that the 2nd Africa Water Week (AWW2) will be held at the Gallagher Convention Center, Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa from the 9th to the 13th of November 2009. During the AWW2, the 2nd Pan-African Implementation and Partnership Conference (PANAFCON II) will take place on the 11 November, 2009 at the same venue. The 2nd Africa Water Week and Conference will be both unique and innovative in character as the main focus will be on implementation and partnership as Africa sprints towards the 2015 MDG targets. Firstly, it will bring together through a strong unity of purpose, African countries and UN agencies, civil society groups, the private Sector and development cooperation partners, to address the critical issue of water and sanitation, which is a key to sustainable development on the continent. Secondly, it is in direct response to the Sharm El Sheikh Commitments on water and sanitation adopted by the African union Heads of state and Government (Egypt, July 2008). These events owe a lot to the close cooperation between the African Ministers� Council on Water (AMCOW), development partners, the UN family of organisations, Global Partnerships, civil society networks and private Sector initiatives active in the region. The presence at the events of the development partners of AMCOW, the Private Sector, trade unions, research institutions, women and youth organisations and civil society to join African Water Ministers will help to send a strong message of solidarity within the region, reinforcing the international solidarity with and commitment to Africa. AMCOW welcomes any substantive role your institutions may want to play. Both the 2nd African Water Week and PANAFCON II provide opportunities for launching initiatives and/or programmes which significantly contribute to implementation efforts of the Sharm El Sheikh Commitments on water and sanitation.