Regional Conference highlights roles for private sector and civil society organisations in sanitation
More than 80 representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs), government agencies in Vietnam, regional organisations and representatives from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the donor for this program, will meet at the Sheraton Hotel in Hanoi from 12 to 15 July 2016 to share lessons about water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects being delivered in Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and Timor-Leste. Mr Nguyen Van Tinh, Deputy Director of the Water Resource Directorate of Vietnam will open the conference.
This four-year program is an initiative of DFAT and funded by the Australian aid program’s Civil Society Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (CS WASH) Fund. It is set to benefit up to 780,000 people in the East Asia region through increased access to basic sanitation and up to 153,000 people with increased access to safe water. Globally the A$103 million CS WASH Fund (www.cswashfund.org) is supporting 29 projects in 19 countries. In 2016-17, three NGOs: East Meets West, iDE and Plan have received A$12 million to deliver different projects in Vietnam.
“The 15 year National Target Program on Rural Water Supply and Sanitation has delivered impressive results. 86% of rural population now have access to water and 65 % of rural households have access to hygienic latrines. However, provision of access to clean water and sanitation remains a challenge, especially for poor households. Innovative measures including greater private sector participation can provide a solution for sustainable water and sanitation services” commented HE Hoang Van Thang, Vice Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The conference aims to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of projects within the CS WASH Fund by facilitating knowledge exchange and learning. “Accelerating progress on water and sanitation for sustainable development in East Asia is possible. It will require a lot of ambition, innovation and, more importantly, strong working relationships between civil society organisations, governments and other agents of change including the private sector and social enterprises.” said Layton Pike, Chargé d’Affaires of the Australian Embassy in Hanoi.
In the East Asia region, sanitation coverage lags behind water coverage, and this is particularly true for the poor. Whilst improvements have been made in increasing access to sanitation during the Millennium Development Goal period, problems remain. In particular, a challenge is how to gain access to the necessary finance. In Vietnam and in other East Asian countries, public funding to sanitation is an important element of service delivery. The conference will focus on how to use private and public finance and expertise to deliver improved sanitation and explore the roles of CSOs, relevant local government agencies and latrine suppliers in fostering market-based approaches.
Contact: Van Duong, Acting Portfolio Manager, Private Sector and Innovation, Australian Embassy
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