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The UNICEF/World Health Organization
Joint Monitoring Programme partners with
UNSGAB define ambitious and realistic
targets and set objectives for drinking
water “that is really safe”;
The “Friends of Water Group” Steering
Committee agrees to help co-ordinate
Member States activities in managing
water-related issues;
UN processes, such as the High-Level Panel
on Post-2015 agree to consider the need
to develop strong water and sanitation
objectives while encouraging stakeholder
participation;
Regional bodies, such as the African
Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW)
and the Asia-Pacific Water Forum, call for
higher priority to water management, water
and sanitation and the endorsement of a
dedicated Global Water Goal; and
Higher attention paid by stakeholders
and decision makers to capacity building,
including training of engineers and water
managers and staff, helping countries
formulate integrated plans for water
resource development and protection,
and to improve the sustainability of cooperation projects.
Securing Sustainable Finance
Financing water supply and sanitation is one of
the most difficult challenges facing Governments.
Despite providing a wide range of economic and
social benefits, current levels of spending are far
below the investments required to achieve the
MDG water and sanitation targets. Achieving the
current MDG targets for water and sanitation,
maintaining progress in the future and realizing the
human right to safe drinking water and sanitation,
as well as managing wastewater, require mobilizing
“sustainable” financing for the sector.
Even if funding derived from the 3 Ts
(taxes, tariffs and transfers) were delivered
at scale, it would be insufficient to cover the
huge capital investment costs required in
developing countries. The Board argues that
there is a need to supplement such funding
by access to the long-term local currency
capital markets for water utilities — a proven
strategy in developed countries — to bridge the
WATER CRISIS
The water crisis that struck Selangor and
Negri Sembilan in 2014 from February
to August can be traced to hot and
dry climactic conditions in Peninsular
Malaysia earlier in the year. Other
factors included delays relating to water
infrastructure and negotiations between
the Government and private water
concessionaires.
An earlier water crisis occurred in
February 1998 when three reservoirs
in the Klang Valley – the Klang Gate
Dam, the Batu Dam and the Semenyih
Dam, all experienced a substantial
drop in water level following the El
Nino phenomenon. The subsequent
water shortage affected almost all
residents in the Klang Valley causing the
Government to impose water rationing.
financing gap. The Board encourages the use
of a range of innovative financing mechanisms
that can help attract private investors, such as
mechanisms that blend concessional finance
with commercial finance or pooled financing
facilities that support borrowing by relatively
small operators at reasonable costs.
The UNSGAB commits to:
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Increasing financial and budgetar y
resources across the water sector;
>> Advocate whenever possible for
increased political prioritization of the
water and sanitation sectors, including
wastewater and water resources
management, to secure additional
financial resources of all kinds, including
those from public budgets and user
fees. Special emphasis will be given
to co-operation with Governments and
partners such as AMCOW, Sanitation
and Water for All Partnership (SWA) and
Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA).
>> Collaborate with Governments, the
World Bank, Regional Development
Banks and other partners to identify
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