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INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FRESHWATER
2003
Initiative for a Water Supply and Sanitation Programme for the
Unserved in Developing Countries
The Mangochi Declaration, 17-21 March 1997, Malawi
Lack of access to
safe water sup ply inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene
practices are among the leading causes ot illness, death and
malnutrition in developing countries. The consequence of this
deprivation of basic needs is catastrophic to human and economic
development globally In rural Africa alone, 40,000 million hours
are lost each year on water collection from distant sources. In
economic terms, this is estimated to cost the continent at least
US$2,000 million per year - time which could be invested in food
production and other economic activities or health and social
development.
In spite of the
major advances made since the 1980s in providing water and
sanitation services to 1,200 million and 770 million people
respectively (including the application of cost-eftective
technologies, promotion of strategic planning. adoption of
participatory approaches and collaboration among agencies and
governments) the challenge for the future is daunting.
Furthermore, of the average yearly investment of US$13,000
million in the water and sanitation sector over the past 15
years, only about one quarter was spent on low-cost technologies
and approaches to serve the rural poor and deprived, low-income
urban populations.
By the
year 2000 it is estimated that approximately 2.200 million and
2,900 million people will require water and sanitation services
respectively Fully three quarters of these will reside in poor
rural communities and in deprived, low-income urban areas (the
majority of whom will be under 18 years of age). thus inhibiting
their rights to social and economic development. It is clear
that to continue with "business as usual", the application of
current policies, strategies, funding levels and implementation
rates. we will not even keep pace with the population growth
rate.
In
view of this immense global challenge, over 150 participants
comprising senior government officials, representatives of
external support agencies. non-government and private sector
organisations and leading professionals from nearly 40 countries
met at Mangochi. Malawi from 77-21 March 1997 to consider the
application of policies and strategies that will help to resolve
the issues faced by the water and sanitation sector The Man
gochi Workshop, hosted by the Government of Malawi and UNICEF
and held un~er the auspices of the Handpump Technology Network (HTN).
recognised that the supply of safe drinking water and sanitation
services to all is not a distant dream, but will remain an
elusive goal, especially in Africa, without changing the present
arrangements and approaches.
In
particular, the Mangochi Workshop perceives a need for
governments to move away from the cost-prohibitive solutions
that solve the needs of a few to the adoption of solutions using
proven, cost-effective technologies and approaches (such as
handpumps, spring protection, dug wells and upgrading of
traditional water sources and sanitation services) that offer
hope to all. It identified that for many of the world's poor,
these simple, environmentally friendly solutions remain the
only, or if not, the most cost-effective option - both in rural
and rapidly deteriorating urban environments
The
Mangochi Workshop identified an urgent need for effective
collaboration between governments, external support agencies,
non-government organisations, the private sector and user
communities. It also recognised that sustainability of
standardised, handpump-based and other low-cost water and
sanitation systems and approaches can be enhanced by the
creation of effective political will and legal environments,
promotion of decentralised decision-making processes,
mobilisation of the private sector and by adopting
demand-driven, community-based empowerment approaches. The
Mangochi Workshop recognised that the HTN, whose mandate was
reaffirmed and future role was expanded during the workshop, can
play a key role - both as a nodal point for information exchange
and as a facilitator of best practice throughout the world.
Although low-cost water supply and sanitation technologies are
well proven, and examples of successful implementation
strategies prevail, progress in many developing countries
remains slow and setbacks continue. Experiences from around the
world point to an urgent need for a partnership-based approach,
including the creation of an effective framework for
co-ordination of efforts and closer collaboration on a global
scale.
The
Mangochi Workshop reminds national governments of their roles
and responsibilities for enabling the provision of safe water
supply and sanitation services within the framework of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child. The development of
rational water supply and sanitation policies, together with the
introduction of supporting legal, financial and institutional
structures is seen as a necessary precursor to success.
Cognisant of the comparative advantage it derives from its
global presence, the Mangochi Workshop calls upon UNICEF to work
in close collaboration with the World Bank. UNDP the
Collaborative Council, the UN System-wide Special Initiative on
Africa, as well as other UN agencies, governments, external
support agencies, non-government organisations and the private
sector to take a leading role in meeting one of the compelling
challenges to sustainable development in the early 21st Century
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