WaterSan Perspective Reporter
July 20, 2013
Up to 800 participants are expected in Abidjan from 21 to 23 November 2013 for the 2013 High-Level Forum on Water and Sanitation for All
“To promote vibrant and effective South-South cooperation to accelerate access to hygiene, sanitation, and drinking water for all in Africa,” is the theme of the Forum.
Originally set up by the Pan-African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA) (http://www.wsafrica.org), this year’s forum is being organised in association with the Government of Ivory Coast.
This is the third forum; the first two were held in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Dakar in Senegal. Its objective is to provide a platform for various decision-makers and stakeholders involved in this sector in Africa to exchange information and exert their influence, thus encouraging decisions and concrete action in support of WASH in Africa.
The 2013 Forum has three main objectives: (i) to find the best way to take advantage of South-South partnerships for the development of business opportunities in terms of financial cooperation for the implementation of priority projects beyond the reach of national budgets in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector (WASH); (ii) to develop strategic alliances and partnerships to strengthen the technical and institutional capacities of southern countries in the WASH sector; (iii) to stimulate the sharing of experiences and know-how between southern countries in the WASH sector.
The third High-Level Forum on Water and Sanitation for All in Africa is of interest to all stakeholders and senior officials in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene sector in Africa. They include African heads of state, ministers responsible for water and sanitation issues in Africa, African finance ministers, as well as technical and financial partners from the North and South, mainly consisting of export-import banks, researchers, investors, NGOs, and integration and development organisations.
The institution, which has 32 member countries, has been working in Africa for 25 years to develop solutions to address the problems of water and sanitation on the continent. Its mission is based on the establishment of integrated systems combining the optimization of technical and scientific approaches with innovative funding mechanisms.
