High-Level Launch of the Eu-wop Programme second phase

The world is facing a huge water and sanitation challenge. Currently, 2.2 billion people still cannot count on contamination-free water, and 3.5 billion lack sanitation systems that protect them from disease. Water quality is declining and freshwater ecosystems are being degraded, threatening the continued availability of water for basic services. Many of the water and sanitation service providers counted upon to provide basic services in communities around the world struggle with technical, financial and managerial challenges. Under-performing utilities regularly feature unsafe water, frequent cuts, and very limited coverage within their service area.  

Sanitation and Water Operators' Partnerships (WOPs) draw on the motivations and natural capacities of effective water and sanitation service providers to help their peers realize sustainable improvements. Strong utilities have shown themselves to be effective mentors to other utilities striving to improve their financial, technical and managerial performance. WOPs make their impact by helping utilities acquire and apply knowledge, establish new practices and implement improved approaches. The resulting capacity and performance improvements contribute to SDG 6 targets and facilitate utilities’ access to financing for infrastructural investments, supporting further extensions or improvements in services.    

 The EU-WOP programme aims to strengthen the capacity and operational performance of beneficiary water and sanitation operators towards the SDGs. The EU-WOP programme contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, most directly goal 6, to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.  By supporting partnerships between water and sanitation utilities, the programme helps beneficiary operators play their full role in contributing to local realization of Agenda 2030 and associated global goals. 

The programme, overseen by UN-Habitat's Global Water Operators' Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA), is currently providing funding and support to 22 WOPs in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. It is one of the largest global programmes on such peer to peer partnerships. 

The Directorate General for International Partnership of European Commission, and UN-Habitat are jointly organizing the launch of the EU -WOP Programme second phase with an additional EUR 14 million until the end of 2030. Building on emerging results and lessons learned from the first phase of programme implementation, the new phase will add an additional 15-20 WOP projects and extend up to 15 of the ongoing WOP projects showing good progress and plans to expand. This will be the largest WOPs programme to date.