Stronger Together - Transforming Access to Water and Sanitation through South- South Water Operator Partnerships

Water and sanitation services, crucial for billions globally, are key in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet their importance is often overlooked. The World Water Development Report 2023 indicates that progress on all SDG 6 targets, aimed at ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, is significantly off-track. As of 2020, 26% of the global population lacked access to safely managed drinking water services, and 46% were without safe sanitation services. The situation is particularly dire in Sub-Saharan Africa, where about 60% of the population lacks access to clean water, highlighting a pressing need for systemic changes and accelerated actions through initiatives like the EU-WOPs Program in Africa.
Provision of basic water and sanitation services is crucial for the most vulnerable groups, including women, children, the youth, and people with disabilities. There is a notable nexus between SDG 6 and SDGs 5 (gender equality) and 10 (reduced inequalities), especially in informal settlements characterized by poor access to basic services, high population densities, and substandard housing conditions.
The slow progress towards achieving SDG 6 highlights the need for partnerships and cooperation that enhance water governance, promote innovative solutions, and improve efficiencies. Supporting the "stronger together" dialogue at WUF12, this event will examine how solidarity-based South-South Water Operator Partnerships (WOPs) advance water and sanitation rights for marginalized communities in urban Low-Income Areas (LIAs).
The EU-WOP programme, with its focus on pro-poor governance and performance management through a human rights-based approach, aligns with the Leave-No-One-Behind principles of the UN-SDGs. The program is dedicated to advancing the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation.
The event will share best practices and insights from the South-South WOPs under the EU-WOP programme, discussing the framing of partnerships, mentorship dimensions, and the successes and challenges of translating policies into practice to support public service providers with quality mentorship.
The session will start with introductions followed by a presentation to set the context, facilitated by a moderator. A balanced panel will delve deeper into the event's objectives, followed by a participant feedback session, concluding with a discussion on key outcomes and follow-up actions. This meeting aims to share effective practices and foster dialogue to advance global water and sanitation agendas through impactful partnerships.