BACKGROUND
The WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) millennium goals were set up during the World Sustainable Development Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, as follows:
- To halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation;
- To significantly improve living conditions for 100 millions people living in slums.
These goals were set up against a background where in Africa, only 350 millions over 600 had access to clean water in 2000 whereas sanitation coverage rate was about 53%. In sub-Saharan Africa, the situation is more critical, only 34% of the populations had access to sanitation. The World Bank has estimated that the achievement of the MDGs will require heavy investments, an increase of about 70%.
According to the recent assessments, Sub-Saharan Africa is still lagging behind the rest of the world with respect to achieving the WASH Millennium Goals. Although impressive progress is recorded in some countries, the continent, as a whole, still requires more focused efforts (WSP 2006). Thus, on current trends Sub-Saharan Africa will reach the water target in 2040 and the sanitation target in 2076.
Many African countries have thus engaged in water reforms aimed at sustainable resources management and improving WASH services to the poor and the unserved. Some of the reforms have included decentralisation. Decentralization is perceived to bring better water governance, transparency, accountability and local ownership. To that extent, it is expected that local authorities should play major roles in the management of water and sanitation. This will include transfer of power, competencies, responsibilities and resources from the central government to local levels (municipalities), and may interact on the way WASH is managed.
The current ITN conference offers a platform to sector actors to share experiences in decentralised WASH service delivery and management.
Background to the ITN Conference
The International Training Network for Water and Waste Management (ITN) Africa is a network of organisations which provide quality advice, information and training in water and sanitation sector. The ITN conference is organised annually in a rotative way by each of the centre members, to discuss various sector issues. The current conference will be hosted by CREPA based in Burkina Faso.
In Africa, ITN centres are:
· CREPA : Centre Régional pour l’Eau Potable et L’Assainissement au Burkina Faso : www.reseaucrepa.org
· TREND : Training Research and Networking for Development au Ghana: www.trend.watsan.net
· NETWAS: Network for Water end Sanitation au Kenya : www.netwas.org
· IWSD: Institute of Water and Sanitation Development au Zimbabwe : www.iwsd.co.zw
· NCWSTI:National Community water and Sanitation Training Institut en Afrique du Sud
· CFPAS : Centro de Formação Profissional de Águas e Saneamento au Mozambique : www.cfpas.co.mz
Objective
The 2007 ITN conference aims at sharing experiences on how decentralization has been used in accelerating the meeting of the WASH Millennium Development Goals.
Target Group
The conference is targeted at policy makers and practitioners from government, municipalities, local authorities, NGOs, CBOs, resource centres and capacity building institutions.
Conference Topics
Papers relating to decentralisation and the achievement of the WASH MDGs, especially on the following thematic issues, will be appreciated:
- Policy ;
- Strategy ;
- Field action ;
- Monitoring, evaluation and impacts assessment.
Conference Format
The conference will consist of the following activities:
- Three days of oral and poster presentations, and materials and technologies exhibition, and a half day of field visit;
- The conference will be followed by half day meeting of ITN Africa Centres managers.
Call for papers
Papers are invited for presentation at the conference. Papers will cover a range of issues directly linked to the main conference theme or related topics. Full papers, not exceeding 10 A4 pages must be submitted not later than 30 September 2007, in accordance with the prescribed format. Abstract and full papers can be in English and French, should contain full names and contact details of the author. Abstract not exceeding 200 words will be received by July 30.
Language
The conference will be in both English and French. A simultaneous translation and interpretation will be provided to allow full participation of all attendants.
Conference fees
The conference registration fees will be 150€ per person for foreign participants, 75€ for nationals and 30€ for students. These fees will cover the following:
- Attendance at conference (registration, coffee breaks, lunch, cocktail)
- Conference bag and a copy of the conference papers document,
- Field visit
Accommodation
Participants are requested to select among the following accommodation facilities, at their convenience:
- Hôtel Amiso: single 30660f cfa / 37000fcfa/ jour (46€/56€)
- Pacifique Hôtel : single 42000fcfa / jour (64€)
- Excellence Hôtel : single 30000fcfa / jour (46€)
- Hôtel Palm Beach : single 40000fcfa/60000fcfa / jour (61€/92€)
- AZALAÏ : single 55000fcfa / jour (84€)
- Central hôtel : single 18000fcfa/ 25000fcfa / jour (28€/38€)
Application form
Please complete and return the form below before 30 September to the ITN organising committee: CREPA 03 7112 Ouagadougou 03, Tél: 00226 50366210/11 Fax : 50366208 email : itnconference@reseaucrepa.org
One line registration is available at www.reseaucrepa.org
Name:
Organisation:
Position
Postal address Country
Telephone and Fax Email
Title of paper:
Title of poster
Conference Venue
Hôtel Palm Beach Ouagadougou Burkina Faso : tél +226 50308777/74
Contacts
All enquires should be directed to :
CREPA 03 7112 Ouagadougou 03, Tél: 00226 50366210/11 Fax : 50366208
itnconference@reseaucrepa.org , crepa@fasonet.bf
Online application and application form can be found at : www.reseaucrepa.org