Description/achievement of initiative
WOPs work by harnessing the skills, knowledge and goodwill within a 'mentor' utility to build the capacity of another utility – the 'mentee' – that needs assistance or guidance.
Through mentorship, WOPs progressively strengthen and empower the mentee operator on management, financial and technical levels to implement operational and organizational changes that will lead to better and more sustainable services.
WOPs have a number of distinguishing features, most notably:
WOPs focus on building the resident capacity of water operator staff, rather than ‘doing it for them.’
WOPs are peer partnerships, meaning that the support comes from professional counterparts with hands-on experience within utilities
Knowledge is not for sale in WOPs. WOPs are carried out on a solidarity basis and are not to be used for commercial purposes.
Implementation methodologies
Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
Coordination mechanisms/governance structure
Partner(s)
PERPAMSI (Indonesia Water Supply Association), WaterLinks, Aqua Publica Europea, Asociacion Nacional de Empresas de Agua y Saneamiento, Federacion Nacional de Cooperativas de Servicios (Chile), Contra Costa Water District (USA), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), African Water Association (AfWA), Asociacion Latinoamericana de Operadores de Agua y Saneamiento (ALOAS), Pacific Water & Wastes Association (PWWA), Pakistani Platform of Water Operators (PWON)
Progress reports
Goal 6
6.1 - By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.2 - By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.3 - By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.4 - By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
6.a - By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
6.b - Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
Goal 11
11.1 - By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
11.6 - By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
11.a - Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning
11.b - By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels
11.c - Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials
Goal 17
17.3 - Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.6 - Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.7 - Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.16 - Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.17 - Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
Data, monitoring and accountability
2018
