WaterAid's Stockholm World Water Week blog

17 August 2009

WaterAid's Chief Executive, Barbara Frost, blogs from Stockholm at the annual World Water Week, where thousands of delegates from over 140 countries meet to address global water and sanitation issues.

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I'm typing this late at night after another long day at the World Water Week - so a few thoughts only!

Day 4

Finally, some sunshine in Stockholm! After a quick breakfast, I headed straight over to the venue as I had a day packed with meetings. When you get a meeting like this, you have to take full advantage of all the people gathered together from across the world.

Of all my meetings, one of the real highlights was the chance to speak with the South African Deputy Minister for Water and Environmental Affairs. She was really passionate about the importance of school sanitation, an issue WaterAid has done lots of work on. We talked about WaterAid's plans to open an office in Pretoria for our planned work in Angola, Swaziland and Lesotho - watch this space. South Africa will this year take up the chair of the regional African Ministerial Council Water and we hope that they will be able to use this regional platform to champion water and sanitation in Africa.

I also had the opportunity to meet with Joseph Souza MP from Swaziland and talk about WaterAid's plans to work there. He was really positive about WaterAid coming to Swaziland and it was good to discuss how WaterAid can contribute to existing efforts there.

I wasn't able to attend the session but I heard great things about a presentation made by Isha Bhagwat - Programme Director for WaterAid India - on WASH disaster preparedness in India. This is a new area of work for WaterAid but our office in India has been working with the state government of Bihar to develop innovative strategies and technologies for disaster prone areas.

That's all for me today as I have to leave early to attend the Grand Banquet. This is the big event of the week hosted by the King of Sweden where the World Water Prize is awarded. I will have the opportunity to meet his Highness the King of Sweden and I hope to talk to him about all the good work we're doing but also to mention WaterAid Sweden of course!

I need to change into my party outfit so have to sign off early but if you can hear more from me but also from our Director of International Programmes, Girish Menon on WaterCube TV, direct from Stockholm.

Day 3

My day kicked off with a delicious breakfast organised by ANEW, a key WaterAid partner. Even better than the breakfast were the great presentations updating everyone on the important work of this vibrant and energetic African Network. Over the last year - and particularly during the International Year of Sanitation 2008 - ANEW have been doing a fantastic job providing a coordinated civil society voice at the regional level in Africa. The meeting was a real success and I really hope that those attending the meeting will be able to invest financially to ensure ANEW can continue this work.

All day people have been coming up to me saying how lucky WaterAid is to have Jan Eliasson as the Chair for WaterAid Sweden. His keynote speech at the opening ceremony obviously made a big impression.

There have been some really interesting presentations about urban sanitation – one of the really big challenges we face. Dr Bindeshawar Pathak the winner of this year's water prize talked about the Sulabh Foundation and all the great work they have been doing in difficult urban settings.

Also yesterday there was a presentation by Wilson Bezwada from the WaterAid partner organisation SKA about the ongoing scandal of manual scavenging. Wilson is a compelling speaker and this topic is truly shocking. There were tears in many people's eyes as they watched a film prepared by SKA – how can it be that that are still people who must scoop up other people’s faeces with their bare hands?

Another WaterAid partner from Malawi, Water for People, told us about some really innovative work they have been piloting in Malawi using a market based solution with shit being in demand by fertilizer companies! It reminds me of a slogan I once saw daubed on the side of a truck which collected sewerage: "Your Shit is My Gold"!

There was more today on the Right to Water. It was really good to hear the Regulator from Kenya talking about this along with the office of the UN Independent Expert, Catarina de Albuquerque. WaterAid believes a rights based approach is critical to empowerment and inclusion. At the end of the day this empowerment comes about when citizens realise that they have a right to demand these services and that governments have an obligation to ensure this access.

We've been able to meet up with many WaterAid supporters here – colleagues from the British and Dutch governments, the Gates Foundation. We've also started new dialogues with a number of new potential partners which is really exciting. 

I didn't get to speak to him but I did spot the guru of participatory development Robert Chambers today and will try and say hello tomorrow. Robert is now doing research on Community-Led Total Sanitation and has been a passionate champion for this demand-led approach to sanitation pioneered in Bangladesh.

I'm fading fast and need to get some sleep as I have a busy schedule again tomorrow. So, rather than burning any more of the midnight oil blogging I'm going to direct you to the interview I did today for the Water Cube.

Good night!

Day 2

Things start early at the World Water Week! Even at breakfast, it's impossible not to network. I was really pleased to bump into Catarina de Albuquerque. She is here in Stockholm to talk about her recently completed report on the Right to Sanitation that she will submit to the UNHCR in September – a big step forward.

Also at breakfast, sitting on the table next to mine, was Prof Mohan Munasinghe from the Munasinghe Institute for Development, from Sri Lanka who spoke yesterday and was just great. He introduced a new concept of red water. Red water is the basic minimum required for life that must be safeguarded. He also talked about 'sustainomics' which was a new word to me but self explanatory.

After breakfast, I had time for a quick catch up with other WaterAid colleagues participating in the World Water Week including colleagues from India and Nigeria (see WaterAid India's Ishaprasad Bhagwat). There are so many things going on in Stockholm that you need to be in two or three places at one time, all the time!

There was a really good session on the Global Framework for Action (GF4A). This initiative to build concerted international action on water and sanitation now has the support of a number of governments and UN agencies and it is really great to see that support growing. Ideas were shared and new organisations and agencies joined the discussion. Henry Northover from WaterAid gave a great presentation and talked of the need for better targeting of aid as today only a quarter of WASH aid actually goes to the poorest countries. The session ended on a high with one speaker enjoining everyone to seize the opportunity afforded by the GF4A and 'do their part'.

Inevitably, I have been doing a lot of networking. I met with colleagues from different organisations including the Dutch NGO Simavi and Dubai Cares. I've also been able to meet and catch up a number of WaterAid partner organisations who are here and find out the latest.

I think it's worth mentioning that there are three generations of WaterAid Chief Executives here! Jon Lane and Ravi Narayanan are both here as well as me. Jon Lane is now running the Collaborative Council on Water Supply and Sanitation in Geneva and Ravi Narayanan who works with the Asia Pacific Water Forum as their Vice Chair on political leadership and water security. Really great to see so many old faces in new and influential roles.

It's been pouring down with rain here so no water shortages at the World Water Week.

Day 1

Stockholm World Water Week kicked off today, and at the end of day one I am already inspired by the wealth of knowledge, ideas and expertise the some 2,400 participants have bought to the table as we do our best to address the challenge of the world's water and sanitation crisis.

The theme of this year is "Responding to Global Changes: Accessing Water for the Common Good" and the opening speeches provided much insight and stimulation.

Last night the mayor welcomed us to Sweden at the City Hall where the Nobel prizes are given. (Pictured: Barbara Frost with UNICEF's Clarissa Brocklehurst)

Credit: WaterAid

Stockholm International Water Institute Executive Director, Anders Berntell provided food for thought, pointing out that we provide astronauts with a safe supply of drinking water when they travel to the moon, but we cannot provide the same service to slum dwellers in Kibera, Nairobi or Dharavi Mumbai. Clearly the inability to provide safe and sustainable drinking water is an indicator of the way in which water is being managed and that there could be safe drinking water for all if we had the political will to do so.

This year's Water Prize Laureate Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak shared his own incredible story, which has seen him work tirelessly to help provide access to clean water and sanitation to millions of people in India.

WaterAid Sweden Chair, former United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Darfur and one-time President of the United Nations General Assembly Jan Eliasson gave a challenging address, highlighting the need to work across development, human rights and peace. "If you don't combine these three, you will not have stable progress. And the water issue comes back on all these three parameters, a life of dignity for all." He called on governments to take action and give higher priority to water and sanitation – highlighting the need for a global framework for action in the sector.

Watch an interview with Jan at World Water Week 

One of the overarching points made today, and one which we at WaterAid work hard to champion, is that water is an issue that is connected to so many others, including health, education, climate change and agriculture. Water is something that strongly contributes to the social and economic development of people and governments must recognise its crucial role in reducing poverty across the board. We will certainly be ensuring that this message gets out amongst the 2,400 people attending World Water Week – watch this space.