French Water Partnership

The FWP has, along with its members, taken an active part in the preparatory phase of the Istanbul Forum and its three political, regional and thematic constituting processes.

During the 4th World Water Forum, French water stakeholders significantly contributed to advancing the international community thinking on the right to water for all and on the benefits of handing the responsibilities of water and sanitation services over to the local authorities.

In Istanbul, the FWP and its members spreaded 11 key messages, to download below:

Sanitation, a vital priority for the populations
In order to achieve the MDGs, it is necessary:
to provide basic sanitation for all,
to act on the entire wastewater process, from collection to treatment, reuse and recycling.

Meeting the challenge of sanitation for all is possible through:
the use of various forms of collective and on-site sanitation infrastructure but also attitudes and hygienic habits.
mobilisation of public authorities, users, economic stakeholders and professionals

Making access to water and sanitation an effective right for all
To clarify the responsibilities of each player, from State to beneficiary
To translate political will into national strategies and coasted action plans
To set up long-term financing mechanisms

Intergated water resource management’s territory: the River-Basin
Experience shows that IWRM at basin level offers a real governance advantage.
Building a shared vision of the basin’s issues and concrete, costed action programmes
Developing a true water democracy throughout the basin
Mobilising dedicated, long-term financing reflecting the solidarity of all parties concerned

Giving local authorities responsible for water services the powers to act
The State sets the general rules for management and financing of the services
The local authorities are responsible for choosing the model for management and organisation of the service
The local authorities give priority to developing their human capacities for management of the services
The local authorities report to the users on the efficiency, integrity and fairness of the service

Promoting international cooperation among local authorities for access to water and sanitation
To build sustainable partnerships between local political decision-makers
To meet local needs, flexibly and responsively
To give tangible form to civic solidarity

A double challenge for agriculture: feed the world and protect water and ecosystems
By the year 2050, feeding 9 billion inhabitants will require a doubling of the world food production.
To develop productive agriculture that saves water and respects the environment
To boost investment and international aid in managing water for food

Long-term financing for sustainable water management
The Government is adopting a national framework to clarify long-term financing of all expenditure:
It is organising the sector in order to optimise costs and save water resources
It is distributing the financial burden so that it is spread over the long term for the taxpayers and made affordable to the users
It is ensuring that the stakeholders in the sector have adequate financial resources to meet their responsibilities

Towards a better management of energy for water and water for energy
To coordinate policies to achieve savings in both sectors and to better the management of water resource
To integrate water and energy in planning and land use policies
To invest in renewable energies, in particular hydro-electricity
To develop public-private partnerships to spread out the benefits and the risks

Water and climate change: better management and adaptation!
Climate change will aggravate water scarcity owing to a constantly rising demand:
It is urgent to adopt water saving policies
Adaptation plans are now required at all levels (international, national and local)
Adaptation aid to developing countries must be a priority

To avoid a “water crisis” in the Mediterranean, a strategy of concrete projects
Mediterranean countries put water high in their priorities and devote long-term budgetary means to it
Improved management of water demand limits the need for additional resources
The economic stakeholders associations and local authorities take part in the decision-making process and the projects

From humanitarian emergency to development, water and sanitation are a priority for the populations
To reinforce coordination between emergency and development stakeholders
To develop more responsive and better organised financial mechanisms
To share and build on knowledge of vulnerable situations and experience from the field