Capacity Development for Water Operators
Water operators (particularly public ones, which provide approximately 90% of water and sanitation services worldwide) play a big role in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the realization of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation. Rapid, unplanned urbanization combined with multiple pressures on water resources is magnifying the need for effective and resilient water and sanitation service providers. Recognizing that access to knowledge and technical support could help the world’s water operators develop the capacity they need to deliver quality basic services for all, UNSGAB in its 2006 Hashimoto Action Plan, called for a global mechanism to systematize Water Operators’ Partnerships (WOPs) and scale-up not-for-profit exchange and support between operators. In 2007, UN-Habitat launched the Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) as a global network of partners collaborating to encourage and enable effective WOPs.
A key idea behind the creation of WOPs is that much of what is needed for capacity development (knowledge, resources, training materials, courses, etc.) exists, but it is difficult for operators to access and use. Within the UN-Water family, there is a wealth of open-source products and resources – publications, toolkits, experiences, on-line and training courses, knowledge – that deserve to be put more directly at the disposal of water operators. The approach would be to gather these resources and avail them to an extensive network of water and sanitation operators on a not-for-profit basis. Considering this, a UN-Water Task Force is proposed to capitalize on UN-Water expertise at the service of the world’s public water operators.
The proposed Task Force will not create something new as much as it will consolidate and capitalize upon UN-Water Members’ and Partners’ work by providing a coordinated support for water utilities seeking to develop their capacity. In this sense, it will build upon the progress of all UN-Water members in developing resources and activities that serve this common purpose. The Task Force, proposed by the UN-Water Special Programme, the Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) of UN-HABITAT, would be a direct contribution to the water and sanitation targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the UNGA Resolution 64/292 on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation, as well as the UN International Year on Water Cooperation 2013.
The reason to propose a Task Force instead of a Thematic Priority Area is that a Task Force will have a time-bound and concrete objective to be implemented in two years (2013-2014). Based on the achievements of the Task Force, a Thematic Priority Area could then be eventually proposed to sustain the work of the Task Force.