150 million people in Eastern Europe and NIS without safe water and sanitation

EU and UN strategies are not addressing the local problems, eco-sanitation and decentralized waste water treatment should be promoted

06.05.2004 |Annemarie Mohr

WECF director and 5 members took part in the UN Water and Sanitation CSD in New York, April 2004. In a meeting with the EU troika and Prince of Orange WECF states that current EU and UN policies do not address principle problems, eco-sanitation should be promoted.

WECF wrote the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Ms Margot Wallstrom, to inform her of the concerns of WECF that EU and UN strategies for improving safe drinking water and sanitation are not addressing the mayor problems of local communities.

Women in Europe for a Common Future network was represented at the CSD with 6 members from the Pan-European region. WECF organised 1 side-event on lessons from women¹s water and sanitation projects in the pan-European region (April 20th) as well as the presentation of the ³Women for Water² partnership - of which WECF is one of the founding members during the CSD partnership fair. At this ³review² CSD on water and sanitation the WECF members, based on their experience, expressed their concern that there are 3 areas where very little progress has being made:

Financing from the private sector is disappointing but still the key focus
Sanitation is not on track for reaching the Millennium Development Goals
The Gender gap is not being sufficiently addressed

Download: letter to EU commissioner Wallstroem

Read more about the 3. World Water Forum in Kyoto.

Link website: http://www.bpwnl.nl/water/arc/040420.htm