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Relationships with other organisations

WaterAid recognises that to implement a cohesive strategy of providing water and sanitation to the world's poor, it is important to create effective relationships with other organisations within the sector. Below you will find an outline if some of the organisations we work with and our relationship to them.

Africa Development Bank
Asia Development Bank
Building Partners for Development
Department for International Development
Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs
End Water Poverty
EU Water Initiative
Freshwater Action Network
Global Water Partnership
Partners for Water and Sanitation
The World Bank and the Water and Sanitation Programme
UN International Decade for Action - 'Water for Life'
UN International Year of Sanitation
UN Water
Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)
Water Dialogues 
Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor

Africa Development Bank

The Africa Development Bank (AfDB) is a multilateral development bank that makes grants and loans to African governments and to public and private enterprises investing in Africa. The AfDB is Africa's largest development finance institution which is dedicated to combating poverty and improving living conditions across the continent.

WaterAid, with the Freshwater Action Network and ANEW, a network of African civil society organisations, have produced a primer to deepen understanding of AfDB at a time when its work in the sector is expanding.

Download the Africa Development Bank primer ( PDF 1Mb)

http://www.afdb.org

Asia Development Bank

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a multilateral development financial institution owned by 65 member countries. Its mission is to help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their citizens.

The Asia Development Bank and WaterAid entered into a knowledge partnership together in response to ADB Water Week 2004's Change Agenda and to strengthen the involvement of civil society in advancing water sector reforms.

The main areas of collaboration between ADB and WaterAid are:

  • Assessing civil society involvement in national water sector apex bodies
  • Preparing WaterAid NGO partners for constructive engagement in 2005 ADB water policy
  • Benchmarking and advocacy support for water consumer groups

http://www.adb.org/

Building Partners for Development

Building Partners for Development (BPD) Water and Sanitation is an international cross-sector learning network focused on improving access to safe water and effective sanitation in poor communities. BPD's primary aims are:

  • To explore the potential contribution partnerships make to meeting the water and sanitation needs of poor communities through action research
  • To develop high-quality partnerships for the provision of water and sanitation through direct project-level support
  • To bring together different organisations within the sector and promote constructive dialogue around the water and sanitation issues affecting poor communities

WaterAid supports this knowledge centre as a Director of the Board and through contributions to individual learning and training activities at a programme level.

http://www.bpd-waterandsanitation.org/

Department for International Development

The Department for International Development (DfID) is the part of the UK government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to eradicate extreme poverty.

In 2005, WaterAid agreed a six year Programme Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the Department for International Development (DFID). The PPA sets out at a strategic level how WaterAid and DfID will work together to achieve a set of jointly agreed outcomes that will contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Under the PPA, WaterAid receives strategic funding that enables a wide range of activities to take place across the four regions in which we work.

The agreed outcomes of the PPA 2005 are:

  • Increased prioritisation of the water and sanitation sector in government spending in the 17 countries where WaterAid works and ensuring inclusion of the poor in the 2015 Millennium Development Goals
  • DfID support to play an effective and active role in the water and sanitation sectors in the 17 target countries, including the implementation of DfID's Water Action Plan
  • Water and sanitation issues promoted within other sectors including health, education and livelihoods
  • Local government and municipal capacity increased, improving the accountability of service providers through greater transparency and participation
  • Increased awareness and understanding among the UK public of development issues, in particular the relationship between water and sanitation, and development

http://www.dfid.gov.uk/aboutdfid/DFIDwork/ppas/wateraid-ppa.asp

Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs

WaterAid has received financial support from the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs since 2003. Initially this was through the theme based co-financing budget line (TMF) and the funding was for core activities enabling WaterAid to develop its programmes in Africa and Asia. 

WaterAid has recently signed a new contract with the Dutch Government under the SALIN Programme, which will run from 2007 to 2011, and also supports our core activities. WaterAid regularly meets Dutch Government officials to discuss our work and to provide input into Dutch governments policies on water and sanitation in developing countries

The End Water Poverty coalition

End Water Poverty is the international campaign that aims to bring an end to the global injustice that causes millions to live without access to clean water and sanitation. The coalition is formed of like-minded organisations from around the world who are demanding urgent action and leadership from donors and governments alike
 
WaterAid is a founder member of the End Water Poverty coalition and is represented on the interim board.
 
http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/

EU Water Initiative

The EU Water Initiative was launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August 2002 as a partnership between European and African governments to mobilise and coordinate resources better for achieving the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals.

Within a water resource management framework, EU governments would improve their aid coordination and African governments would prioritise water and sanitation in national plans and budgets including poverty reduction strategies. Since previous government-to-government action had been insufficient, there would be stakeholder involvement in the Initiative.

WaterAid has played an active role since its inception, in the multi-stakeholder and in country level dialogues. WaterAid’s critical comments on the initiative have led to some changes.

WaterAid currently supports WaterAid programme partners to engage in country-level dialogues as well as facilitating the Freshwater Action Network’s African civil society representation.

http://www.euwi.net

Freshwater Action Network

Freshwater Action Network (FAN) was established after the second World Water Forum in March 2000 as a freshwater advocacy network. FAN was set up to ensure that southern Civil Society Organisations working on water or sanitation issues are strongly represented at international water policy forums and to ensure their voices are heard during the increasingly political water debates.

FAN has been instrumental in supporting and assisting southern Civil Society Organisations to participate in:

  • International Conference on Freshwater, Bonn 2001
  • UN World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg 2002
  • WaterDome, Johannesburg 2002
  • 3rd World Water Forum, Kyoto 2003
  • United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development 2004 and 2005
  • EU Water Initiative
  • 4th World Water Forum, Mexico 2006

During the third World Water Forum, FAN members from Africa decided to have an inception meeting in Kenya to create what is now known as the African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW). The network was created in October 2003 and has been developing steadily since, convening sessions for African Civil Society Organisations during the fourth World Water Forum three years on. 

WaterAid is a member of FAN's advisory board and provides financial support to the network. NGO partners in WaterAid country programmes are active members of FAN and ANEW individually and through national NGO networks like UWASNET in Uganda and CONIWAS in Ghana.

http://www.freshwateraction.net

Global Water Partnership

The Global Water Partnership (GWP) is a working partnership among all those involved in water management; government agencies, public institutions, private companies, professional organisations, multilateral development agencies and others committed to the Dublin-Rio principles. This comprehensive partnership actively identifies critical knowledge needs at global, regional and national levels, helps design programmes for meeting these needs, and serves as a mechanism for alliance building and information exchange on integrated water resources management.

WaterAid is a member of the Global Water Partnership and hosts the Ethiopia chapter of the partnership.

http://www.gwpforum.org

Partners for Water and Sanitation

Partners for Water and Sanitation (PAWS) works with countries in Africa providing knowledge and expertise to help them supply clean water and adequate sanitation to their population. Set up in response to the Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation, following the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, the partnership is initially focused on Africa where the challenge is greatest. 

An innovative not-for-profit initiative, the partnership has members from three sectors; government departments, private enterprises ranging from water companies to engineering groups, and NGOs such as WaterAid and Tearfund. This allows the partnership to draw from the widest possible range of expertise to rapidly respond to each unique challenge and to help local African partners develop and strengthen capacity and build truly sustainable solutions.

WaterAid is a member of the steering group and supports the PAWS initiative in Nigeria where it complements WaterAid's programme activities in Nigeria and Ethiopia.

http://www.partnersforwater.org

The World Bank and the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP)

The World Bank is a large organisation with a complicated structure, often undergoing reform, and divided into Vice Presidencies. All activities and responsibilities related to water are integrated and broadened to include all staff of the World Bank working on water, whether water resource management, water supply and sanitation, water for agriculture/irrigation, water for energy, water for environment, water quality. 

Responsibilities for the Transport Sector and for newly defined World Bank Water Sector Board encompassing the above areas have been merged with the Energy and Water Supply and Sanitation Department in the Sustainable Development Vice Presidency.

Since 2005, the World Bank approved approximately US$1.5 million in new lending to client countries for water supply and sanitation sector per year. The World Bank is the largest external financier in the sector. 

WaterAid works on dialogue processes with key Washington and country-based World Bank staff.

http://www.worldbank.org/watsan

Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) is an independent learning, resource and policy unit within the Department of Energy, Water and Transport. Their goal is to help the poor gain sustained access to improved water supply and sanitation services. WaterAid collaborates with WSP in a range of research and learning activities.

http://www.wsp.org

UN International Decade for Action - 'Water for Life'

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the years 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life'.

The primary goal of the 'Water for Life' Decade is to promote international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015. These commitments include the Millennium Development Goal target to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015 and to stop unsustainable exploitation of water resources.

As Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, has written:

"Water is essential for life. Yet many millions of people around the world face water shortages. Many millions of children die every year from water-borne diseases. And drought regularly afflicts some of the world's poorest countries. The world needs to respond much better. We need to increase water efficiency... we need to make sanitation a priority... And we must show that water resources need not be a source of conflict. Instead, they can be a catalyst for cooperation. Significant gains have been made. But a major effort is still required. That is why this year marks the beginning of the 'Water for Life' Decade...

"Together, we can provide safe, clean water to all the world's people. The world's water resources are our lifeline for survival, and for sustainable development in the 21st century. Together, we must manage them better."

http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/

UN International Year of Sanitation

To put the spotlight on sanitation, the UN General Assembly declared 2008 the International Year of Sanitation. Its goal is to raise awareness and to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of reducing by half the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015. WaterAid is an International Year of Sanitation partner organisation.

http://esa.un.org/iys/

UN Water

UN Water is made up of the UN agencies, programmes and funds that have a significant role in tackling global water concerns. It also includes major non-UN partners who cooperate with them in advancing progress towards the water-related goals of the Decade Water for Life and Millennium Declaration. UN Water is responsible for assessing status and trends in freshwater at the global and regional levels.

WaterAid is working with DFID and UN Water on the development of an annual reporting mechanism as part of the response to the UNDP 2006 Human Development Report recommendations.

http://www.unwater.org

Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)

The WASH Collaborative Council, formerly known as Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, is the leading international multi-stakeholder network of professionals working in water, sanitation and hygiene.

The Council seeks to accelerate the achievement of sustainable sanitation, hygiene and water services to all people, with special attention to the unserved poor, by enhancing collaboration and coordination of all sector stakeholders, nationally and internationally. 

The Council achieves this mission through advocacy and awareness raising campaigns, and facilitating concerted action programmes focused on improved sanitation and hygiene service delivery, to be carried out through the Council's extensive membership and network of partners and collaborators.

WaterAid supports the work of the Council through engaging in country-level WASH advocacy campaigns and supporting country programme partners in either its role of National Coordinators or as an elected representative on the Council's steering committee. 

http://www.wsscc.org

Water Advocates

Water Advocates is the first US-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated solely to increasing American support for worldwide access to safe, affordable and sustainable supplies of drinking water and adequate sanitation. Its purpose is advocacy, not implementation of projects. Water Advocates works with all sectors of American society to increase public and private-citizen funding for effective water, sanitation and hygiene projects and initiatives internationally, particularly those characterised by strong community involvement.  

WaterAid is represented on the board of Water Advocates. 

http://www.wateradvocates.org/

Water Dialogues

The Water Dialogues are a series of national multi-stakeholder dialogues and research processes that will examine whether and how the private sector can contribute to the delivery of affordable and sustainable water supply and sanitation services, especially to poor communities.

Lessons from The Water Dialogues will generate information that can contribute to the development of sector strategies by governments and support for these strategies from international donors.

To date, The Water Dialogues have been established in Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa and Uganda. The Water Dialogues differ from previous international multi-stakeholder processes in that most activities take place at the national and sub-national levels, that is, at the level of implementation, where findings can feed directly into existing national sector reform processes.

WaterAid has been an active member of this process since its establishment and is a member of the international steering group and provides administrative and financial support to the International Secretariat. The initial scoping study reports can be found at http://www.wateraid.org/psp.
 
http://www.waterdialogues.org/

Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor

Committed to making a significant contribution towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) is an innovative partnership between the private, public and civil society sectors to provide more effective delivery of water supply and basic sanitation services.

WSUP was first established on 1 September 2004 via a Memorandum of Understanding and then formally incorporated in the UK on 9 April 2005 as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Its membership is made up of three businesses, four international Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), and one academic institution. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Water Association (IWA) are members with observer status.

WaterAid supports this project as a Director of the Board and is in discussions with local partner organisations on the role WSUP might play in supporting the development of local stakeholder-based initiatives.

http://www.wsup.com/about.htm