Implementing the Right to Water: Democratisation and Public-Public Partnerships

Organised by the Transnational Institute, Public Services International and the Centre for Law, Policy and Human Rights

The side-event focuses on the enormous potential of public-public partnerships (PUPs) between water operators as a tool for improving access to water and sanitation for the poorest. PUPs are very different from the public-private partnerships (PPPs) that have failed in so many cities around around the world: PUPs are cost-effective, low-risk, geared towards lasting capacity-building, based on local control, and enable transparency, accountability and involvement of workers and civil society. For these reasons, PUPs are a fast-growing trend and there are now more countries have hosted PUPs than host PPPs in water.

Panelists:
- Ms. Santha Sheela Nair, IAS, Secretary to Government of India, Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development (to be confirmed)
- David Hall, PSIRU, University of Greenwich
- Jaime Morell, Consorcio Provincial de Aguas de Sevilla, Spain
- Guillermo Amorebieta, Aguas Bonaernenses Sociedad Anonima (ABSA), Argentina
- Vibhu Nayar, IAS, Water Resources Ministry, Government of Tamil Nadu, India
- Marcela Olivera, Food and Water Watch and the "Coordinadora de Defensa del Agua y la Vida", Cochabamba, Bolivia
- Faraj El-Awar, Programme Manager, Global Water Operators Partnerships Alliance, UN-Habitat

For more information, contact: Satoko Kishimoto, Transnational Institute (TNI), satoko[at]tni.org