BPD @ Stockholm 2007

BPD at Stockholm

BPD attended Stockholm World Water Week 2007 in order to participate in the high-level policy debate that takes place at this annual event.  This year BPD shared an exhibition stand with WaterAid and Freshwater Action Network and ran an half-day discussion event (see below).

This built on BPD's successful debut last year at Stockholm at which it ran a very well-received event on sanitation partnerships, in conjunction with WSSCC and IWA.

BPD Discussion

BPD ran an event that explored two topics: pro-poor regulation and partnership accountability:

Pro-poor Regulation

In African cities well over half the people do not get their water straight from the utility.  The situation is similar in Asia and Latin America.  Fewer still have sewer connections.  How useful to the poor then are regulations that focus on formal customers of the utility?  Could these actually be an obstacle to progress?  Where do informal providers fit in?

BPD hosted a free-flowing debate on whether regulation should play a more proactive role in partnerships providing water to the poor.                                                                                                            

BPD background material:

Drowning in Accountability

Are water and sanitation partnerships losing their ability to innovate?

Some multi-stakeholder partnerships spend a lot of time on getting their own governance right.  Others are less attentive.  This discussion explored how resource and risk allocation in multi-stakeholder partnerships can be fit for purpose.  

Can partnerships create accountable structures for internal co-ordination and external legitimacy that still allow for flexibility and innovation?

                                                                                    

BPD background material: