GTZ is now GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
Since 1 January 2011, GIZ has brought together under one roof the long-standing expertise of DED, GTZ and Inwent. For further information, go to www.giz.de.
Since 1 January 2011, GIZ has brought together under one roof the long-standing expertise of DED, GTZ and Inwent. For further information, go to www.giz.de.
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Conference OutcomeThe conference was attended by over 160 water and sanitation practitioners from 16 countries in Africa and by international development partners with a focus on Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda. Speakers included
The conference was a success in terms of content, participation, representation and results-orientation. In his opening address, the Kenyan Minister of Water and Irrigation encouraged the participants to “freely share with us your knowledge, your skills and your experiences in the management of water and sanitation to turn around the lives of our urban poor”. In her passionate speech, Dr. Eid challenged the participants to stop talking and take action, to listen to water practitioners and start with implementation. She also said that it is “high time that consumers, who are also voters, take their destiny in their hands and tell politicians what is needed, and are regarded as partners by the water suppliers”. She announced she would bring the conference results to the attention of the Secretary General of the United Nations at the next meeting of the UN Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation on the 10th and 11th of July. Many speakers emphasised the need for targeted interventions for the poor. Views strongly differed on the role of the small-scale providers (SSP). Some participants cautioned that these informal providers had too many shortcomings and that nothing should be done to further promote them. Problems with SSPs particularly include cartel building, price fixing and low water quality. Others views highlighted the advantages of the SSP in terms of customer reach, flexibility and willingness to serve neglected areas. At the end of the engaged debate there was general agreement that the realities on the ground simply demanded for partnerships with these providers resulting in more regulatory accountability. 
Arno Tomowski, Director of Environment and Infrastructure at GTZ the summary of results at the close of the conference: In order to meet the challenges, “all involved need to act together and fully realise the need to change current practices”. The principal recommendations agreed on by the participants were:
In his final remarks, Eng. Robert Gakubia, Director for Water at the Kenyan Ministry of Water and Irrigation posed the question of who should be responsible for implementing these recommendations and promptly replied: “The answer is me! What I am supposed to do to reach the targets I will do! We all need to put these recommendations into action”. The conference recommendations will be further refined in consultation with key stakeholders. It is hoped that the suggestions will facilitate initialisation of concrete action and to coordinate the interventions of actors in the urban WSS sector. The atmosphere during the conference was enthusiastic and very constructive, which fuelled lively discussions among the participants in the breakout and plenary sessions. Despite the dense programme, the great interest and active involvement of the participants was maintained right up to the end. This was due to the excellent organisation, good choice of speakers and presentations, and, above all, the urgency of the conference theme, about which an acute awareness prevailed among the participants.
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