Originally developed to reduce drug trafficking, national and international efforts to reduce money laundering have broadened over the years to address other crimes, and most recently, terrorism. These efforts now constitute a formidable regime applied to financial institutions and transactions throughout much of the world. Yet few assessments of either the achievements or consequences of this regime have been made.

The time has now come to refocus the global water debate to the key question:how to improve and expand public water delivery around the world? Important lessons can be learned from people-centred, participatory public models that are in place or under development in cities like Dhaka Bangladesh), Cochabamba (Bolivia), Savelugu (Ghana) and Recife (Brazil), to mention a few.