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In October 2005 in Strasbourg, Solidarity Water Europe and its partners organised the 1st European Solidarity Week for Water. The theme was "Water in Europe: decentralisation, participation, solidarity". One hundred participants from all over Europe, all involved in water management at different levels, greatly appreciated this initiative. They expressed the desire to engage in on-going dialogue within Europe.
In 2007, as we prepare for the International Year of Sanitation (2008, decreed by the United Nations, Appendix 1), Water Solidarity Europe and its partners have decided to organize the 2nd European Solidarity Week for Water in Republic of Moldova from 1 to 5 October 2007.
The theme of the week will be "Appropriate sanitation for human, economic, social and sustainable development". In many countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, access to good quality water and sanitation is still a challenge for many people. Furthermore, a lack of political will and low investment in the water sector, combined with an unequal distribution of resources between urban areas, secondary towns and rural areas are slowing down progress towards an acceptable standard of living and the respect of fundamental human rights.
This initiative also contributes to the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals, in that it aims to strengthen and/or multiply actions in the field so that sanitation, hygiene and health become effective financial and political priorities.
The Objectives of the 2nd
European Solidarity Week for Water
1.To analyse the population's and local authorities' demand and needs in terms of sanitation, particularly
in the rural areas (villages and small towns) of Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus (drawing on
existing studies).
2.To jointly design a realistic reference framework that can be applied locally to foster the emergence o
sustainable projects to improve sanitation.
3.To establish links between local, regional, national and international stakeholders to optimise the
effectiveness of pan-European solidarity and to lobby for the required institutional changes.
4.To strengthen and extend pan-European solidarity in new ways to work towards sustainable and equitable
development.
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Final report to download (FR version) here
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