IIED Director, Camilla Toulmin
Tanzania is among 13 countries that will benefit from multimillion-dollar partnership formed to address the declining supplies and inaccessibility to fresh and clean water by the world?s poorest people.
The multi million partnerships by the seven major international organisations is an initiative targeting Tanzania, Burkina Faso, El Salvador and Ethiopia.
Seven major international organizations including the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) have announced that about USD15m would be ploughed into the Global Water Initiative.
The initiative will also work in Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras and Kenya. The same will be applicable to Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Senegal and Uganda.
A statement issued by the IIED Director, Camilla Toulmin, in Dar es Salaam, said: ``This partnership comes at a critical time, when climate change threatens to reduce water availability in many parts of the world where people struggle to access adequate supplies?.
The organizations involved have different strengths which, when combined and employed in partnership with local organisations and government agencies, will help to improve the management of water resources for millions of people.\"
The IIED Press Officer, Dr Mike Shanahan, said that a new partnership has been launched to address the declining state of the world\'s fresh water supply and lack of access to clean water services by the world\'s poorest people.
The Global Water Initiative (GWI) brings together a group of seven leading international organisations: Action against Hunger-USA, CARE, and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and The World Conservation Union (IUCN) .It also brings together International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Oxfam America and SOS Sahel - UK.
The announcement by the GWI comes at a time when more than one billion people lack access to improved water sources and more than 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation.
Water resources are under increasing pressure from human use while communities are frequently affected by floods and droughts.
The GWI will work in 13 countries in Central America, West Africa and East Africa to address the challenges of providing long-term access to clean water and sanitation, access to water for rural production, as well as the protection and sustainable management of ecosystem services and watersheds.
The partner organisations will focus on needs of some of the world`s poorest and most vulnerable communities including refugees and internally displaced persons, according to the statement, adding that the projects will deliver water and sanitation in rural communities.
In addition, investments will be made to strengthen institutions, build capacity to enable organisations to initiate and sustain long term projects.
A specific highlight of this initiative is the opportunity to address trans-boundary issues and regional watersheds in a broad approach, it says.
Combining these strengths provides an unusual opportunity to support transformation of water management in selected countries in close cooperation with other local partners and agencies, it adds.
Within the first two years, the GWI will demonstrate practical approaches to achieving integrated water resource management, supporting responsible water policy, addressing water conflict resolution and reducing water related risks, it says.
In its inaugural year, over USD15m has been made available for implementation of these activities this year.
Similar levels of resources are anticipated for the following nine years. Funding for the GWI is provided by the Howard G. Buffett Foundatio, it says.
``This initiative is designed to recognize and meet the needs of both domestic and productive water uses, while combining integrated watershed management with environmental accountability,`` stated Howard Buffett, President of the Foundation.
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation funds water projects in 19 countries, but does not accept any unsolicited proposals.
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