Nane Annan notes that washing hands can reduce the rate of death by diarrhoea by one third.

Women and water, sanitation and hygiene for all
Presented by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Eirah Gorre-Dale, WSSCC, stated that the event focused on women's role as care givers, providers, educators, and managers of safe water, sanitation and hygiene. She said that the WSSCC aims to accelerate the progress towards safe water, hygiene, and sanitation for all, by stimulating actions by governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and the private sector. She introduced the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for all (WASH) campaign.

Richard Jolly, WSSCC, called for a shift from global focus to national implementation, and stressed that clean water is necessary to protect human health and the environment.

Nane Annan stressed that access to water and sanitation is a community concern, especially for children and women. Noting that hygiene can reduce water related diseases by 33%, she highlighted the need for high-level political commitment and community ownership and management.

Anne Perterson, US Agency for International Development, stressed the central role of women in African families. She noted the US' commitment to the WASH campaign.

Sonjica Buyelwa, South Africa, expressed concern over the controversy related to access to water during the WSSD. Noting that seven million people in South Africa do not have adequate access to sanitation, she emphasized that access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is a human right. She stressed that the WASH campaign in South Africa is based on a multistakeholder partnership, and called for improvement of women's technical education and capacity to participate in the decision-making processes related to water.  

Gugu Moloi, Umgeni, stressed the need for women's involvement in: service delivery mechanisms; management; shaping future water policies and legislation; and identifying appropriate technologies. Describing UMGENI's ongoing activities, she called for job creation at the local level, education, activism, and partnerships.

More information:
http://www.wsscc.org
http://www.umgeni.co.za
http://www.unicef.org

Contact:
Eirah Gorre-Dale < gorre-dale@un.org >
Richard Jolly < wsscc@who.int >
Anne Peterson < APeterson@usaid.org >
Gugu Moloi < gugu.moloi@umgeni.co.za >

Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, notes that achieving sustainable development requires multi-stakeholder partnerships. 

Jan McAlpine, US

Congo Basin Forest Partnership
Presented by the US government

Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, noted the importance of tropical forests and their high rate of destruction. He stated that the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) will: promote sustainable use of forest resources; create and manage protected forest areas; combat illegal logging and other unsustainable activities; and promote sustainable livelihoods of the peoples in the region. Powell emphasized the participation of international organizations and of the six Congo Basin governments in the initiative, and stressed the importance of partnership and cooperation in promoting sustainable development in the Congo Basin.

Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, underscored the need for achieving sustainable development in the Congo Basin, and highlighted the political commitment expressed in the declaration of the Yaoundé Forest Summit. He stressed the importance of stakeholder involvement in the CBFP, and underscored the necessity of regional and international cooperation.

Poul Nielson, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Assistance, stated that the CBFP should aim at improving governance and reducing poverty in the region. He suggested that the Partnership build on the results of the Yaoundé Forest Summit, and be closely linked with Type I outcomes of the WSSD. Nielson called for a global action plan on forest law enforcement, governance and trade, and highlighted the need to move from forest monitoring to policing.

Ronnie Kasrils, South African Minister for Water Affairs and Forestry, noted South Africa's commitment to the Partnership, and highlighted the importance of conserving the Congo Basin forests.
 

Russell Mittermeier, Conservation International, stressed the importance of the Congo Basin for biodiversity, particularly for great apes. He stressed that the Partnership should conserve biological and cultural diversity, and underscored the need to fight commercial bushmeat hunting. He announced that Conservation International, the Wildlife Conservation Society and WWF would support the partnership with USD 37 million.

More information:
http://www.state.gov/g/oes/sus/wssd
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relatio ns
http://www.conservation.org

Contact:
Jan McAlpine, US < mcalpinejl@state.gov >
Poul Nielson < poul.nielson@cec.eu.int >
Russell Mittermeier < r.mittermeier@conservation.org >

New partnerships, institutions and networks of the future
Presented by IUCN

Kader Asmal, South African Minister of Education, welcomed the WSSD's philosophical and political will to improve partnerships and stressed that partnership are an invitation for dialogue and solidarity, and a basis for collecting world-wide knowledge on practical experience. Asmal identified the importance of funding systems that do not impose conditions on recipient countries as central for successful partnerships

Andrew Hewett, Oxfam, highlighted that Oxfam's activities are built on promoting partnerships at all levels. He recommended that Type II Partnerships: have a clear link with Type I commitments; fit into a regulatory framework; and supplement public activities. He stressed the importance of monitoring and reporting systems for promoting accountability and transparency in Type II Partnerships, and highlighted the need to incorporate equity and increase participation in partnerships.

More information:
http://www.iucn.org
http://www.weforum.org
http://www.oecd.org
 

Simon Upton < simon.upton@oecd.org >
José María Figueres < jose-maria.figueres@weforum.org >