Agenda Poverty

Organised by MIO-ECSDE and RAED
Supported by CEU DG TRADE & DG ENV, UNEP/MAP and GWP-Med

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Invitation

Agenda

Wednesday, 19 December 2001
09:00 – 09:30	Registration
Session I: Opening
9:30 – 11:00	Welcome by: Dr. Kamal Sabet, Executive Director Dr. Emad Adly, Chairman, RAED Mr. Raymond Van Ermen, Executive Director, EPE Prof. Michael Scoullos, Chairman, MIO-ECSDE Dr. Samia Guirguis, Assistant Resident Representative, UNDP Opening Address by H .E. Dr. Mahmoud Riad, Minister of State for Environment of Egypt Address of H .E. Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zeid, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources of Egypts delivered by Dr. Mona El-Kady, Chairperson, National Water Research Center, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation
11:00 – 11:30	Coffee Break
Session II: Euro-Mediterranean Contribution to a Global Deal
11:30 – 13:00	Adapting the Tripartite Programme of Action 2002-2007 in the South Mediterranean Dr. Emad Adly, RAED Water Valuing and Poverty in the Mediterranean: Overall Approach Prof. Michael Scoullos, Chairman, MIO-ECSDE Discussion The GWP-Toolbox on IWRM: Contributing to Knowledge on IWRM Mr. Jan Hassin, Expert, ToolBox Team, GWP
"Johannesburg should result in a concrete programme of action with time-bound measures and well specified sources of funding to implement them, a clear follow up mechanism to ensure that this programme is able to make a real difference in lives of people who took up to the summit for a better life". Preparatory statements for Johannesburg. The priorities of the European Rio+10 Tripartite Programme of Action 2002-2007 are: Tackling Poverty the Way to Johannesburg the Region-to-Region Dialogues a Tripartite Programme of Action 2002-2007 The Tripartite Programme should be built on a close scrutiny for synergies between existing partnership initiatives. Moreover, it should address the priority areas proposed and in particular by South Africa : Poverty eradication Water security Financing for development Issues of governance The session will explore which might be the “Global Euro-Mediterranean Initiative” in the field of Water Valuing and Poverty.
13:00 – 14:30	Lunch
Session III: Water and Poverty
14:30 – 16:00	Food security and Irrigation: An Overall Approach Mr. Jean Luc-Redaud, Ministry of Agriculture, General Council of GREF, France UNDP Programmes is Support of Water for Poverty Dr. Mohammad Nabil, GEF Programme Officer, UNDP, Cairo The role of UNESCO in Supporting Water Resources Management in the Arab Region Dr. Radwan El-Washah, Regional Advisor for Hydrology, UNESCO/ROSTAS Discussion
“The single most important threat to sustainable development globally is poverty and the widening gap between the rich and the desperately poor. This is not only a threat to poor nations but also to wealthy nations as the instability, conflict, disease and environmental degradation associated with poverty threaten the overall socio-economic status of our planet. South Africa would like to therefore submit for consideration the eradication of poverty as the key to sustainable development as the Summit theme” Minister Moosa, Republic of South Africa. September 10, 2001. Water for the Poor. One in five of the world's inhabitants [more than one billion] is not supplied with drinking water; more than 3 billion do not have access to adequate sewerage services. Thus it is that 3 - 4 million men, women and children die from water related illnesses. «Water must be governed as a common good.. As the source of life, water resources must be governed within a framework of shared responsibility. Shared responsibility involves an obligation on the part of all people and institutions, both individually and collectively, to value and protect water resources(…) «Access to clean and affordable drinking water must be regarded as a fundamental human right. This right must be protected, monitored and enforced by the appropriate public authorities in the communities in which water companies operate(…) Water service providers have a commitment to ensure quality, universally available, potable water for citizens, careful water resource management and waste water management for our environment and fair treatment for water service workers » PSI Code of Conduct. Guiding principles of this session: Prerequisites for safe minimum supply of appropriate water for the poor Pressures exerted on water resources under conditions of poverty
16:00 – 16:30	Coffee Break
Session IV: Valuing and Pricing Water
16:00 – 16:30	Valuing Water: A long Term Goal Dr. Tarek Ahmed, Water Action Unit Expert, World Water Council Securing Water for the Poorest: Joint Action of Municipalities and Water Suppliers in Bouches du Rhone Department, France Mr. Roger Cassaburi, Societe des Eaux, Marseille, GWP The Right Water for all Mr. Henri Smets, Director, Association Pour le Development de l'Economie et du Droit de l'Environnement Discussion
“Water must be managed as a finite economic resource. Charges for water and related services must, in aggregate, reflect the true value of water resources and consider both the current and future cost of service provision. Water should not be wasted. The waste or pollution of water must bear an economic cost. The financial responsibility for water must be both collective and individual. Prices for water and water services must be structured to permit all people to secure their basic human water needs”. Local Government Water Code “Both public and private management of water will improve through greater accountability to users, transparency and rule of law. The role of education in making this process possible cannot be overestimated”. World Water Vision There is no doubt that water for many people is considered as a gift from God. However, life and all natural resources should be considered as gifts as well. We know that the “common goods” rather than accessed by those who need them are frequently mismanaged and exploited by those who have the opportunities, power and means to profit from them.
Thursday, 20 December 2001
Session V: Valuing and Pricing Water
09:00 – 10:30	The European Rio+10 Coalition Tripartite Programme of Action 2002-2007 Mr. Raymond Van Ermen, Executive Director, EPE The Implications of the Water Framework Directive in Promoting Effective Water Governance Mr. Pierre Strosser, Commission of the EU, DG ENV The Social Aspect of the Water framework Directive in Water pricing Mr. Adbelaziz, Director, SONEDE Discussion
Pricing is one of the tools for management. No doubt that this creates problems for the poor and the countries and regions without infrastructure (means for measurements, purification, etc.) This issue has taken a central role in many contradictions and disputes but it is necessary to elaborate further and examine appropriate alternative solutions. Our vision might be to secure a minimum amount of safe water for every inhabitant and charge according to the consumption per unit of supply. The proposed action would make the link between water pricing and the UN Conventions principles, assuming that these conventions might give the legal basis for making progress towards citizens participation in water pricing matters: The UN/ECE Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters is securing European citizen’s rights through access to information, public participation, access to justice for a healthy environment. The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes has lead to «Guidelines on Public Participation in Water Management and Framework for Compliance with Agreements on Transboundary Waters» which could inspire the drafting of the Pricing Water Services Guidelines. The focus will be on people’s empowerment in relation with water services pricing in Europe as well as by European Water Services Companies in developing countries with reference to both existing practices in developing countries as well as European participation regulations, standards and best practices related to water pricing and people’s empowerment. Pricing of water services needs to be seen at the cross road and will address issues as: investment policies of water companies in local communities’ water systems water quality continuity and security of supply of drinking water and disposal sewage fair and just solutions for any citizens with difficulties to pay integrity religious: Water as a gift from God (Islam) ethical: water ownership equity: access to water secured to the poor fairness: high level of corruption, reflected in water price economic: water subsidy market: water use and pollution market representative and participatory democracy, transparency
10:30 – 11:00	Coffee Break
Session VI: Closing... Working plan in view of Johannesburg 2002
11:00 – 12:00	Summary/Conclusions of the Workshop on “Water Valuing and Poverty” (The Closing Session V of the European Rio+10 Workshop on “Water Valuing and Poverty” will be followed by the Opening Session 1 of the GWP-Med Workshop on “Effective Water Governance”)

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See also..."Invitation", "Effective Water Governance"