- How many people lack water supply and sanitation (WSS) services world wide?
- Does the World Bank work with others in its support to the WSS sector?
- Does the World Bank pressure borrowers to privatize their WSS companies?
- How do I find out what jobs are available?
1. How many people lack (WSS) services worldwide?
Globally, 1 billion people are currently without access to improved water supply and 2.6 billion have no form of improved sanitation services (JMP figures for 2002). Most of these people live in Asia and Africa. In Africa, for example, two out of five people lack an improved water supply. The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme provides more information on access to WSS including country figures.
Top 2. How much does the World Bank lend to activities in the WSS sector?
The lending portfolio in WSS is over US$6 million. After a decline in the late 90's, lending is on the rise. In the past two years, the World Bank approved approximately US$1.5 million in new lending to client countries for WSS sector per year. The World Bank is thus the largest external financier in the sector. Top 3. Does the World Bank work with others in its support to the WSS sector?
As the World Bank recognizes the synergies and complementarities existing in water supply and sanitation, it collaborates with numerous and varied partners, should they be from the public or private sector. Over the past three years, the World Bank has made a deliberate effort to strengthen partnerships with multilateral and bilateral agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the private sector. The World Bank, for example, is engaged in UN-Water, the UN Millennium Project Task Force on water and sanitation, and the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program. Contacts with the European Commission have been growing in the context of the European Union (EU) Water Initiative. The World Bank also maintains regular contacts with the private sector and civil society through periodic meetings and joint analytical work. At the global level, the World Bank administers a number of partnership programs, including the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) and the Bank-Netherlands Water Partnership Program (BNWP). The World Bank strongly believes in country ownership and enablies governments to tackle their own challenges with the help of various donors. The basis for partnership with other donors at the country level is the PRSP process. Top 4. Does the World Bank pressure borrowers to privatize their WSS companies?
The World Bank does not push privatization as an ideology and does not make it a precondition for lending. Private sector participation is one of many means to improve governance of the sector. The World Bank’s approach is to tailor assistance to different country and sector circumstances, in line with the long-term poverty reduction objectives of these countries. At the end of the day, it is really a question of whichever solution works best and gets water to people—especially the poor—in a reliable and affordable manner. The World Bank engages with the entire public-private spectrum. For more information, go to the Operational Guidance for World Bank Group Staff Public and Private Sector Roles in Water Supply and Sanitation Services note. Top 5. The World Bank often insists governments raise water tariffs with significant increases in the cost of water to poor people. How can this be justified given the World Bank’s mandate to tackle poverty?
The World Bank does not advocate raising tariffs as a matter of policy per se. In many countries, poor performance of water utilities is linked to excessive costs that poorly managed and largely unregulated public service providers incur. Reform programs are aimed at improving efficiency in service delivery to bring down costs to financially sustainable levels. Investments in water and sewage are ultimately financed from only two sources: taxpayers and/or consumers. Recovering a significant portion of the costs of service delivery from those who use water can impose a strong discipline on government and on the service provider to meet the needs of consumers. The World Bank supports subsidies to facilitate access by the poor to safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation at affordable prices. Where revenues are insufficient, the poorest are left unserved and thus forced to rely on alternative, more expensive sources of water supply. The poor pay up to 10 times more to informal private operators. Also, those who lack access suffer the consequences: high incidents of water-related diseases and squalid living conditions. This burden is borne heavily by women and young children. Top 6. How does the World Bank support countries trying to increase access to sanitation services?
Sanitation access lags far behind access to safe water. The World Bank is making a concerted effort to increase the quantity and improve the impact of World Bank-funded investments in basic sanitation and hygiene. A dedicated team has been set up to provide rapid response and assistance to prepare sanitation projects or components worldwide. The World Bank has for years been the leading external investor in sanitation in developing countries. Current World Bank lending for sanitation and hygiene is US$2.6 million, which is 35 percent of the total WSS lending portfolio. Much of this investment has traditionally been in urban sewage and wastewater treatment. Demand-responsive low-cost sanitation in rural areas is increasingly part of World Bank projects, using an extended web of community-based organizations and building on the existence of local artisans and contractors to provide at-scale demand driven sanitation services. The World Bank is becoming more and more active in basic sanitation in urban areas by supporting on-site and condominial sanitation. World Bank support is focused on sanitation hardware, while accompanying capacity building and policy advice focuses on hygiene promotion and on creating an enabling environment for scaling up sanitation. Top 7. How can I obtain hard copies of World Bank publications on WSS?
Please send mail to Water Helpdeskclearly stating which publications you would like to receive, your name, professional affiliation, and complete address. Top 8. I am looking for a specific project on WSS in my country. How can I obtain more information about this project?
Do a search for project using key words or specific regions or countries in Projects and Programs database, which is the main repository for formal World Bank reports. Top 9. How do I find out what jobs are available?
The World Bank lists the jobs for which it is actively recruiting internationally under vacancies on the careers page. Top More FAQs from the main World Bank web site Top |
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