The International Year of Sanitation (IYS) has officially been launched, and the need to accelerate progress on global sanitation is more urgent than ever. As part of its ongoing efforts to address the growing sanitation crisis, WSSCC is launching a new WASH campaign.
The key message of the 2003 campaign, "Hurry up! 2.4 billion people want to use the toilet.”, (referring to the number of people who lack access to adequate sanitation), remains the core of the new WASH materials. Sadly, the number of people without adequate sanitation has increased. If 2.4 billion people were “waiting to use the toilet” in 2003, that number stands at 2.6 billion today.
The new set of WASH advocacy materials supports the broader goal of the IYS of raising awareness about the global sanitation crisis. The posters, postcards and stickers are designed to support WASH advocacy initiatives carried out by WSSCC's national coordinators, members and partners at the global level and at the country level. Indeed, the International Year of Sanitation provides a unique opportunity to reach out to decision-makers, and to firmly attach sanitation to the world's political agenda. Supported by its members, WSSCC will continue its advocacy efforts to achieve that goal.
"I hope all our members and colleagues in the sector will find these new WASH advocacy materials useful in our work of advocating for water and sanitation for all. IYS is our big opportunity to make a real push on sanitation advocacy. Therefore we expect that these materials will be widely used during IYS and beyond." Jon Lane, Executive Director of WSSCC
Please click on the following link to find the whole set of new WASH advocacy materials:
www.wsscc.org/en/resources/advocacy-material/wash-posters-postcards/wash-2007/index.htm
Yours sincerely,
WSSCC Secretariat
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Friday, November 02, 2007
Africa is home to 25 of fastest growing cities
Africa now has a larger urban population than North America and has 25 of the world’s fastest growing large cities.
These are among the findings in the latest edition of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) 2007 analysis of urban change, which has been published periodically since 1986.
The IIED’s research highlights the gap between rapid urban growth and government capacity to plan and manage it in most of Africa, Asia and Latin America, particularly in light of climate change.
Half of the world’s urban population now lives in Asia, which has half of the world’s largest cities and half of the fastest growing ones. And since 1900, Europe’s share of the world’s 100 largest cities has fallen from more than half to under ten per cent.
The paper draws on the latest urban data from the UN’s Population Division and IIED’s review of 70 recent censuses. It analyses which cities are growing most rapidly and which are declining and discusses the social, economic and political causes and their implications for sustainable development.
"The world’s urban map is rapidly being redrawn," says the paper’s author, David Satterthwaite, a senior fellow in IIED’s human settlements group. "Most of Europe’s great centres of industry," he adds, "are no longer among the world’s largest cities and most of the future growth in urban areas will be in low and middle income countries. How these centres grow will have huge implications for efforts to reduce poverty."
"This will also influence whether disasters linked to climate change can be avoided and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced."
The analysis dispels some myths and reveals some surprising findings:
• Many of the world’s largest cities now have more people moving out than in.
• The world’s urban population is not concentrated in large and ‘mega-cities’ (far more people live in smaller urban centres of fewer than one million inhabitants).
• The speed of urban growth has been exaggerated in low and middle income countries, particularly African ones.
"Urbanisation is often attributed to an urban bias in government and Aid agency policies, but there is little evidence to support these claims," says Satterthwaite.
"In fact, these policies leave much to be desired as they tend to neglect the urban poor, leading to high levels of urban poverty, overcrowding in slums and serious health problems. Governments should see urbanisation as an important part of a stronger economy and their expanding urban population as an asset, not as a problem."
Worldwide, a billion people live in low-quality tenements or squatter settlements with inadequate water and sanitation.
Economic growth is the dominant driver of urbanisation in most nations. The largest cities and much of the world’s urban population are concentrated in the world’s largest economies, and there is a strong association between a nation’s wealth and level of urbanisation.
Satterthwaite warns however against broad generalisations: "Despite the underlying economic foundation to urban growth, the form it takes is shaped by political and social factors at a local or national level."
"Most of the ten-fold increase in the world’s urban population over the past century was in low and middle income countries," he says.
Most of these nations lack the institutional, legal and financial systems needed to manage rapid urban change over the next 15 years in a way that addresses urban poverty and the risks associated. "Many of the world’s fastest growing cities are among the best managed. ith climate change."
"Many governments still see urban growth as something they should try and stop but urban growth does not have to mean urban problems," says Satterthwaite. Cities create opportunities for improving quality of life without increasing resource use and environmental problems. How they are governed and planned will becoming increasingly important in the 21st century."
These are among the findings in the latest edition of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) 2007 analysis of urban change, which has been published periodically since 1986.
The IIED’s research highlights the gap between rapid urban growth and government capacity to plan and manage it in most of Africa, Asia and Latin America, particularly in light of climate change.
Half of the world’s urban population now lives in Asia, which has half of the world’s largest cities and half of the fastest growing ones. And since 1900, Europe’s share of the world’s 100 largest cities has fallen from more than half to under ten per cent.
The paper draws on the latest urban data from the UN’s Population Division and IIED’s review of 70 recent censuses. It analyses which cities are growing most rapidly and which are declining and discusses the social, economic and political causes and their implications for sustainable development.
"The world’s urban map is rapidly being redrawn," says the paper’s author, David Satterthwaite, a senior fellow in IIED’s human settlements group. "Most of Europe’s great centres of industry," he adds, "are no longer among the world’s largest cities and most of the future growth in urban areas will be in low and middle income countries. How these centres grow will have huge implications for efforts to reduce poverty."
"This will also influence whether disasters linked to climate change can be avoided and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced."
The analysis dispels some myths and reveals some surprising findings:
• Many of the world’s largest cities now have more people moving out than in.
• The world’s urban population is not concentrated in large and ‘mega-cities’ (far more people live in smaller urban centres of fewer than one million inhabitants).
• The speed of urban growth has been exaggerated in low and middle income countries, particularly African ones.
"Urbanisation is often attributed to an urban bias in government and Aid agency policies, but there is little evidence to support these claims," says Satterthwaite.
"In fact, these policies leave much to be desired as they tend to neglect the urban poor, leading to high levels of urban poverty, overcrowding in slums and serious health problems. Governments should see urbanisation as an important part of a stronger economy and their expanding urban population as an asset, not as a problem."
Worldwide, a billion people live in low-quality tenements or squatter settlements with inadequate water and sanitation.
Economic growth is the dominant driver of urbanisation in most nations. The largest cities and much of the world’s urban population are concentrated in the world’s largest economies, and there is a strong association between a nation’s wealth and level of urbanisation.
Satterthwaite warns however against broad generalisations: "Despite the underlying economic foundation to urban growth, the form it takes is shaped by political and social factors at a local or national level."
"Most of the ten-fold increase in the world’s urban population over the past century was in low and middle income countries," he says.
Most of these nations lack the institutional, legal and financial systems needed to manage rapid urban change over the next 15 years in a way that addresses urban poverty and the risks associated. "Many of the world’s fastest growing cities are among the best managed. ith climate change."
"Many governments still see urban growth as something they should try and stop but urban growth does not have to mean urban problems," says Satterthwaite. Cities create opportunities for improving quality of life without increasing resource use and environmental problems. How they are governed and planned will becoming increasingly important in the 21st century."
Saturday, October 27, 2007
GLOBAL COALITION CALLS FOR AN END TO "OIL" AID
More than 200 organisations from 56 countries are calling on the World Bank and other international financial institutions to end subsidies to the oil industry. In a statement released on October 18 , the groups refer to 'oil aid' as one of the most glaring barriers to fighting climate change and addressing energy access in developing countries.
The latest annual report of the International Finance Corporation indicates that little has changed in the institution's approach. In 2007, the private-sector lending arm of the World Bank provided more than $645 million to oil and gas companies. This is an increase of at least 40 per cent from 2006.
The report came out as heads of the World Bank gathered in Washington were meeting in the same week to discuss their energy lending and climate change strategy.
,
"The World Bank's approach to climate change and energy is inconsistent and contradictory," said Jennifer Kalafut of NGO Oil Change International. "Despite commitments to cut global greenhouse gas emissions, it continues to increase support for oil extraction projects around the world."
In 2006, the World Bank increased its energy sector commitments from $2.8 billion to $4.4 billion. Oil, gas and power sector commitments account for 77 per cent of the total energy sector programme while 'new renewables' account for only 5 per cent.
"The oil industry includes some of the most profitable companies in the world," said Petr Hlobil of the CEE Bankwatch Network based in the Czech Republic . "Why is the World Bank using development assistance earmarked for poverty reduction to subsidise oil, when investment is desperately needed in renewable energy sources?"
"Investing in renewable electricity will save 10 times the fuel costs than if we stayed on a 'business as usual' course with fossil fuels," said Daniel Mittler from Greenpeace International. "We can cut global CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by 2050, while addressing issues of energy access for the poor and maintaining global economic growth."
The Bank's support to the oil sector is also highly inequitable. While the majority of its oil projects are designed for export to wealthy countries, 1.6 billion people, including 500 million in sub-Saharan Africa, still lack access to electricity.
"By funding these oil projects the World Bank is undermining its own goals of fighting energy poverty and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is also perpetuating problems of conflict and human rights violations often associated with extractive projects, as in the case of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline," said Korinna Horta from Environmental Defense, a U.S-based NGO.
The hundreds of groups and affected communities that have signed this statement are demanding that the World Bank and other public financial institutions stop financing oil projects. They assert that development assistance should be tackling the issue of energy poverty and building clean energy pathways rather than subsidising big oil.
Statement available at: www.endoilaid.org/globalcall
The latest annual report of the International Finance Corporation indicates that little has changed in the institution's approach. In 2007, the private-sector lending arm of the World Bank provided more than $645 million to oil and gas companies. This is an increase of at least 40 per cent from 2006.
The report came out as heads of the World Bank gathered in Washington were meeting in the same week to discuss their energy lending and climate change strategy.
,
"The World Bank's approach to climate change and energy is inconsistent and contradictory," said Jennifer Kalafut of NGO Oil Change International. "Despite commitments to cut global greenhouse gas emissions, it continues to increase support for oil extraction projects around the world."
In 2006, the World Bank increased its energy sector commitments from $2.8 billion to $4.4 billion. Oil, gas and power sector commitments account for 77 per cent of the total energy sector programme while 'new renewables' account for only 5 per cent.
"The oil industry includes some of the most profitable companies in the world," said Petr Hlobil of the CEE Bankwatch Network based in the Czech Republic . "Why is the World Bank using development assistance earmarked for poverty reduction to subsidise oil, when investment is desperately needed in renewable energy sources?"
"Investing in renewable electricity will save 10 times the fuel costs than if we stayed on a 'business as usual' course with fossil fuels," said Daniel Mittler from Greenpeace International. "We can cut global CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by 2050, while addressing issues of energy access for the poor and maintaining global economic growth."
The Bank's support to the oil sector is also highly inequitable. While the majority of its oil projects are designed for export to wealthy countries, 1.6 billion people, including 500 million in sub-Saharan Africa, still lack access to electricity.
"By funding these oil projects the World Bank is undermining its own goals of fighting energy poverty and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is also perpetuating problems of conflict and human rights violations often associated with extractive projects, as in the case of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline," said Korinna Horta from Environmental Defense, a U.S-based NGO.
The hundreds of groups and affected communities that have signed this statement are demanding that the World Bank and other public financial institutions stop financing oil projects. They assert that development assistance should be tackling the issue of energy poverty and building clean energy pathways rather than subsidising big oil.
Statement available at: www.endoilaid.org/globalcall
Friday, October 12, 2007
WASH MEDIA AWARDS 2007/2008
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The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and the
Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) are co-sponsoring the second
edition of the WASH Media Award competition, to be held between July 2007
and April 2008. This competition is open to journalists in developing countries
who publish or broadcast original investigative reports on issues relating to
water supply, sanitation or hygiene in their countries.
Journalists can each submit up to two pieces of work, which can include articles from traditional print or recognized online newspapers, magazines, or journals; radio broadcasts; television documentaries or reports. The entry form with further instructions is available at www.wsscc.org/en/media/wash-media-awards
Eligible works must be published or broadcast between 1 July 2007 and 30 April 2008. Articles or broadcasts can be submitted in French, English or Spanish. Works not originally published or broadcast in one of these languages must be translated into one of the three competition languages in order to be considered for submission.
Prizes will be awarded in each of the three competition languages, with an additional prize awarded for the best entry that deals specifically with issues related to gender and water, sanitation or hygiene. A ceremony presenting the winning entries will take place at the World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 2008. Winning journalists will be invited to attend as special guests of WSSCC and SIWI. More details about additional prizes
will be announced at the winners’ ceremony.
Submissions to this competition will be judged by a nine member international jury, jointly convened by SIWI and WSSCC. The jury, which will have three judges for each of the three competition languages, will be composed of respected members of the media, particularly those with strong backgrounds in environmental journalism.
Entries will be judged on the following criteria:
1. Originality of subject: capacity of the story to surprise
2. Quality of content: style, structure and objectivity of information
3. Quality of research: thoroughness in researching, compiling and
incorporating relevant information
4. Working conditions: difficulties the journalist had to cope with while
doing the research and producing the story
5. Relevance of the WASH issues: how well the story links WASH issues
to the overall development process
6. Potential public impact: capacity of the story to have an impact on
the general public and political opinion
7. Proven public impact: the story had a tangible effect on water supply,
sanitation or hygiene policy in the country or locality where and about
which it was written
All entries must be recei ved by no late r tha n 15 May 2008.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Mr. JON LANE IS THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION COUNCIL
Kojanews , 5 October 2007 - Mr. Jon Lane has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC).
According to the council statement , he succeeds Dr. Gourisankar Ghosh, who held the Executive Director position from 2001 to 2006, during which time he contributed largely to fostering the widespread success of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All (WASH) Campaign. Jon Lane's appointment was formally approved on Thursday ,4 October 2007 by the Director-General of he World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan.
Jon Lane is British and is a Civil Engineer by profession.
He began his career as a consulting engineer in London before moving to international development work.
In the late 1980's Jon Lane worked as country representative in Nepal for WaterAid, one of the world's leading nongovernmental organizations concerned with drinking water and sanitation in developing countries.
Following his stint with WaterAid in Nepal, he was Director of RedR (Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief).
From there, he took the position of Director of WaterAid. Under his leadership, the organization received the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize for outstanding water related activities.
Jon Lane left the London-based NGO in 1999 to work as a senior-level consultant in water and sanitation, primarily for multilateral and bilateral agencies and NGOs, both globally and within Malawi, where he has lived since then. His work during that period mainly involved
strategy, policy and advocacy work.
Additionally, Jon Lane has chaired and been a member of the steering committees of several prominent water and sanitation sector organizations.
Jon Lane has been an active member of WSSCC from its inception, even attending the New Dehli meeting in 1990, where the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council was
created.
He has been involved in some of WSSCC's key milestone moments, including Vision 21, a landmark project that established many of the principles that still guide WSSCC's activities, and the periodical Global Forums, which are meetings to establish priorities, measure progress, and plan for actions within the water and sanitation sector.
In January 2007, Jon Lane accepted the position of Interim Executive Director of WSSCC, to provide leadership to the organization during the transitional period before the appointment
of its Executive Director.
Jon Lane will guide and direct WSSCC's activities through 2008, the International Year of Sanitation, and beyond. His top priorities include:
increasing the number of countries with an active WASH presence - currently that number stands at 36;
expanding WASH advocacy to push for greater global recognition of the importance of safe water supply, adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities;
continuing the knowledge management and thematic networking activities of the WSSCC;
launching a new sanitation grants programme, which is designed to support the scaling-up efforts of sanitation initiatives in developing countries.
After receiving the announcement, Jon Lane asserted "I am honoured to be appointed to this post. I intend to work with all my colleagues in WSSCC around the world to serve people in
developing countries who lack sanitation and water."
According to Dr. Roberto Lenton, the WSSCC Chair, " Jon will bring to the position a deep knowledge of the field, through both his extensive on-the-ground experience in water and sanitation and his work with a broad range of civil society organizations. I greatly look forward to working with him in the years to come."
WSSCC was founded in 1990 in line with a United Nations General Assembly resolution to continue the work of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990), and is since then legally and administratively hosted by the WHO. Its mission is to achieve sustainable water supply and sanitation for all people. Currently, 1.2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe water and 2.6 billion people - nearly half of the world's population, lack access to adequate sanitation.
The Collaborative Council, using the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for water and sanitation as a milestone, aims to ensure that these basic human rights are available to all people.
According to the council statement , he succeeds Dr. Gourisankar Ghosh, who held the Executive Director position from 2001 to 2006, during which time he contributed largely to fostering the widespread success of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All (WASH) Campaign. Jon Lane's appointment was formally approved on Thursday ,4 October 2007 by the Director-General of he World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan.
Jon Lane is British and is a Civil Engineer by profession.
He began his career as a consulting engineer in London before moving to international development work.
In the late 1980's Jon Lane worked as country representative in Nepal for WaterAid, one of the world's leading nongovernmental organizations concerned with drinking water and sanitation in developing countries.
Following his stint with WaterAid in Nepal, he was Director of RedR (Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief).
From there, he took the position of Director of WaterAid. Under his leadership, the organization received the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize for outstanding water related activities.
Jon Lane left the London-based NGO in 1999 to work as a senior-level consultant in water and sanitation, primarily for multilateral and bilateral agencies and NGOs, both globally and within Malawi, where he has lived since then. His work during that period mainly involved
strategy, policy and advocacy work.
Additionally, Jon Lane has chaired and been a member of the steering committees of several prominent water and sanitation sector organizations.
Jon Lane has been an active member of WSSCC from its inception, even attending the New Dehli meeting in 1990, where the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council was
created.
He has been involved in some of WSSCC's key milestone moments, including Vision 21, a landmark project that established many of the principles that still guide WSSCC's activities, and the periodical Global Forums, which are meetings to establish priorities, measure progress, and plan for actions within the water and sanitation sector.
In January 2007, Jon Lane accepted the position of Interim Executive Director of WSSCC, to provide leadership to the organization during the transitional period before the appointment
of its Executive Director.
Jon Lane will guide and direct WSSCC's activities through 2008, the International Year of Sanitation, and beyond. His top priorities include:
increasing the number of countries with an active WASH presence - currently that number stands at 36;
expanding WASH advocacy to push for greater global recognition of the importance of safe water supply, adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities;
continuing the knowledge management and thematic networking activities of the WSSCC;
launching a new sanitation grants programme, which is designed to support the scaling-up efforts of sanitation initiatives in developing countries.
After receiving the announcement, Jon Lane asserted "I am honoured to be appointed to this post. I intend to work with all my colleagues in WSSCC around the world to serve people in
developing countries who lack sanitation and water."
According to Dr. Roberto Lenton, the WSSCC Chair, " Jon will bring to the position a deep knowledge of the field, through both his extensive on-the-ground experience in water and sanitation and his work with a broad range of civil society organizations. I greatly look forward to working with him in the years to come."
WSSCC was founded in 1990 in line with a United Nations General Assembly resolution to continue the work of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990), and is since then legally and administratively hosted by the WHO. Its mission is to achieve sustainable water supply and sanitation for all people. Currently, 1.2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe water and 2.6 billion people - nearly half of the world's population, lack access to adequate sanitation.
The Collaborative Council, using the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for water and sanitation as a milestone, aims to ensure that these basic human rights are available to all people.
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