WORLD BANK AND CSOs DISCUSS WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION ISSUES
World Bank water staff recently met with representatives of leading civil society organizations (CSOs) for a two-day workshop on urban water supply and sanitation. Held in London from November 18–19, the workshop brought together Bank staff and representatives from 22 NGOs, labor unions, and community groups from across the globe.
The workshop was initiated by the Bank’s Water and Sanitation Sector Board and the Water Anchor. It was co-organized with Water Aid which convened a small steering group of CSOs which work with water issues. Together with Bank staff, the group designed the workshop’s agenda and identified which CSO to invite. Participating CSOs included Public Services International, Citizen’s Network on Essential Services, Slumdwellers International, and Consumers International. The Bank group was led by Jamal Saghir, Director of Water and Energy, and included task managers, water expert, and a civil society specialist. (participants list)
The workshop followed an interactive agenda which included presentations, small-group discussions, and plenary sessions on such issues as water reform options, community delivery systems, and urban sanitation. Bank staff made a general presentation on the Bank’s structure and work, and provided details on water policies and urban sanitation projects. Bank staff also shared with participants the institution’s recent water supply and sanitation business strategy and infrastructure action plan. They announced that the Bank would seek civil society feedback on a draft guide: “Approaches to Private Participation in Water Services—A toolkit,” through an online consultation. CSO representatives presented grassroots experiences in Dhaka, Katmandu, and Johannesburg, in which local community groups use alternative approaches to extend water coverage to slum communities.
The workshop also allowed for a frank and substantive discussion on such divergent issues as cost recovery, performance of public utilities, private sector participation, and adjustment lending conditionalities. Participants expressed satisfaction with the workshop, with some saying that it had exceed their expectations in terms of the open and constructive nature of the dialogue. A number of proposals were identified for follow-up actions. These included a more systematic sharing of the Bank’s public project documents; a possible civil society panel during 2005 Water Week; the development of an information kit for increasing water investments within PRSPs; and joint studies on good practice experiences for scaling-up community water delivery systems. For more information on the workshop please visit the Bretton Woods Project web site. A final summary report on the conference being prepared by Water Aid with the input of participants will be posted shortly.
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