Global water initiative

About this project
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About this project

Background

Launched to address the declining state of the world's fresh water supply and the lack of access to clean water services, the Global Water Initiative comes at a time when more than one billion people lack access to improved water sources, and more than 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation. Water resources are under increasing pressure from human use while communities are frequently affected by floods and droughts.

The Global Water Initiative is coordinated through a partnership of seven leading international organisations and is active in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Aims

IIED coordinates the initiative in five countries in West Africa to address the challenges of providing long-term access to clean water and sanitation, access to water for rural production, and the protection of ecosystem services and watersheds. These services are critical to the survival of some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable communities including refugees and internally displaced people.

The Global Water Initiative aims to:

Establish appropriate and sustainable water delivery and sanitation systems
Empower local communities to govern and manage their water resources
Strengthen understanding and sustainable management of water resources through environmental protection and conservation
Address transboundary issues in water basin management
Strengthen integrated water resource management policy and legislation with respect to tenure of land and water resources
Build capacity and understanding among the relevant authorities to support participatory and accountable decision making
Share information on the successes and failures of water interventions
Facilitate inter-governmental coordination and cooperation