UCLGA at 2nd Africa Water Week in Johannesburg, South Africa  

The 2nd Africa Water Week (AWW2) was held at the Gallagher Convention Center in Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, from 9 – 13 November 2009. Under the theme: “Carrying forward the commitments of Sharm El Sheik on Water and Sanitation: Sprint to the finish” the week-long event brought together African countries and UN agencies, civil society groups, the private sector and development partners to address the critical issue of water and sanitation, which is a key sustainable development issue on the African continent. The main focus of the conference was on implementation and partnerships as Africa sprints towards the 2015 MDGs targets.

During the AWW2, the 2nd Pan-African Implementation and Partnership Conference (PANAFCON II) took place on 11 November, 2009 at the same venue. This was followed by statutory meetings of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), which culminated in the inauguration of a new leadership for the Council.

Session on Knowledge Sharing and Best Practice Promotion to Meet MDGs in Africa and Asia

As part of side events at the AWW2, a session on “Knowledge Sharing and Best Practice Promotion to Meet MDgs in Africa and Asia” was held on 10 November 2009 at 18h00. Convened by the Mvula Trust – a water and sanitation-focused civil society organization – in partnership with a host of the organisations including the South African Department of Water and Environmental Affairs (DWAF), the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), the Nepad Business Foundation (NBF), the African Development Bank (AfDB), among others, the session pursued the following specific objectives:  

• promoting  knowledge sharing & best practice promotion to accelerate the delivery of MDGs in Africa and Asia

• broadening knowledge to ensure sustainability and effective service delivery

• south-south cooperation between Asia - Africa in the water sector to accelerate the delivery of MDGs

The Session feature three presentations, inputs by panelists and plenary discussions. 

The UCLGA, represented by Mr. Samuel Kaninda, Project Officer, made a presentation on its Pan African Water and Sanitation Programme whose primary purpose is to articulate the voice of African local government in the race towards the achievement of MDGs in the water and sanitation sector. Mr. Kaninda place strong emphasis on the need to recognize the role of Local Government, as the sphere of government closest to the people, in the delivery of basic services to communities. The UCLGA presentation was part of the Africa Case Study co-presented by Mvula Trust, the UCLGA and the Zimbabwe-based Institute for Water and Sanitation.  

  Key recommendations from the Session include:

• Mainstream knowledge sharing and best practice promotion  at all levels starting with Project and Programmes and extending to National, Sub-regional,  Regional and Globally through the existing agencies/networks/ platforms. Further developing, the learning and sharing culture in the water and sanitation sector at all levels, to make water & sanitation, sustainable and strengthening existing networks/platforms to accelerate the delivery of MDGs in Africa, Asia and beyound.

• Support the building of skills and capacity needed for Knowledge sharing and best practice promotion  at all levels from project/programmes/national/sub-regional , regional and globally . Support initiatives of capacity builing e.g; DFID Mind the Step, etc, to include knowledge sharing, demystify KM, bring people with experience face-to - face through study tours/visits and making 'Business of Water "everybody's business"

• Promote knowledge sharing and best practice promotion sessions at the World Water Week in Stockholm, Asian Water Week in Singapore June/July 2010 etc

AWW2 outcomes