Fresh water is the first principle of human life

Drinking water and sanitary provisions in a safe water environment are directly related to health and welfare, to thirst, hunger, poverty and social and economical growth. That is why safe water and adequate sanitation is a fundamental human right and that is why water is a public good.

Universal access to this human right is a matter of good governance and global responsibility. In other words: drinking water and sanitary provisions in a safe water environment are the carriers of all UN Millennium Development Goals.

At the same time, water is a fundamental source of conflict. So, international cooperation on water aimed towards capacity building of public water operators also means working on conflict control and peace keeping.

Public water operators should play a more significant role in universal access to this human right and universal peace keeping. But public water organizations are hindered by democratic defined legal settings and regulations to play this role. World leaders and national governments must be addressed for awareness of these principles in order to change the democratic limitations of this legal frame.

So let us propose a UN resolution in this respect. After all, the fundamental human right for safe water is at the same level of global reduction of carbon dioxide, global climate change and global peace.
Within this resolution, Water Operators’ Partnerships should be mentioned as a condition for future investments, in order to secure an effective, efficient and sustainable spending.
 

When it comes to Water Operators’ Partnerships

Water problems are integral problems that need an integral vision and an integrated approach to find integrated solutions: solutions for the protection of water resources, rain water, drinking water, waste water, ground water and surface water but also for sanitation and hygiene, solid waste management and waste to energy management.

From this point of view, Water Operators’ Partnerships should apply an integrated approach for capacity building of the organizations involved.  Capacity building through national and international Water Operators’ Partnerships, is in fact creating a political, institutional, organizational and operational environment in which water operators can grow towards well performing utilities.
 

Do's and don'ts of Water Operators' Partnerships

First of all, it should be an integrated approach and not a fragmented one as I mentioned before. That means working with partners in the total water cycle of drinking water, waste water, ground water and surface water, including solid waste management and the generating of innovative energy.

These partnerships, focused on capacity building, should be long term. Maintaining Water Operators’ Partnerships is process oriented and not project oriented. It is not a matter of meeting quick wins. The whole global financial crisis is based on achieving quick wins. Through Water Operators’ Partnerships slow wins are projected, but they are solid and sustainable. This is the change needed to achieve and sustain Millennium Development Goals.

The challenge is not to find operator partners in the South, but how to promote and advocate the Water Operators’ Partnerships concept in the North. More and more public water utilities in the North should become willing and prepared to share know how with colleagues in the South. The world would be a much better world!

Last but not least, the concept of Water Operators’ Partnerships is based on solidarity. It is a “not for profit” way of cooperation, in order to achieve Millennium Development Goals in a sustainable way. But “not for profit” also means “not for loss”. It should not be the case that public water utilities in the North make losses. For that reason, financing programs for this global cooperation concept have to be developed.


Gerard Rundberg
Director World Waternet