ACP – EU Water Facility

Facts and Figures

HISTORY

The ACP-EU Water Facility was created in 2004 with the objective of boosting sustainable delivery of water and sanitation infrastructure and improving water governance in the African-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) group of countries. The projects and programmes incorporate Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) practices.

PROJECT TYPES

– Improved Water Management and Governance

– Water and Sanitation Infrastructure

– Civil Society and Decentralised Cooperation Initiatives

MAIN EXPECTED RESULTS– Improved drinking water

accessed by 17.8 million people – Improved sanitation facilities

available to 6.3 million people– Improved hygiene education

programmes for 17.5 million people

– Improved water and sanitation sector management in more than 50 countries in the ACP region through the implementa-tion of 272 specific projects

The 1st Water Facility, which was launched in November 2004, had a budget of € 500 million under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF). The funds supporting 174 projects were distributed as follows: – 1st Call for Proposals launched in November 2004:

€ 230 million – 2nd Call for Proposals launched in March 2006:

€ 190 million– Support to the Nile Basin Initiative: € 18 million– Support to the African Water Facility: € 25 million– Support to AMCOW: € 2.5 million– Support to European Union Water Initiative (EUWI)

activities: € 1 million– Support to Post Conflict Situations: € 10 million– Support to the EU-Africa Infrastructure Partnership:

€ 10 million– Other centralised activities: € 13.5 million

The 2nd Water Facility was launched in 2009 with a budget of € 200 million under the 10th European Development Fund (2009-2013) and € 12 million from the Spanish Government. By January 2012 a total of 98 projects have already been approved. The funds have been distributed as follows:– 1st Call for Proposals launched in February 2010:

€ 130 million– 2nd Call for Proposals launched in February 2010:

€ 23 million– 3rd Call for Proposal launched December 2011

(ongoing): € 14 million – Pooling Mechanism to co-finance medium-sized

water and sanitation infrastructure projects with other European Agencies and development financing institutions (ongoing): € 40 million

– Other centralised activities: € 5 million

The ACP-EU Water Facility tries to respond directly to the challenges by: – Targeting developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean

and the Pacific, particularly the poorest rural and urban communities

– Promoting innovation and flexibility, implementing water and sanitation infrastructure, strengthening research and management capacities in the ACP countries

– Catalysing additional resources by forging the partner-ships needed to increase funding

– Working directly with those countries most affected by water shortages and lack of basic sanitation for the population

– Providing rapid aid and technical assistance, helping to address the financing gap to populations whose basic water and sanitation needs are not being met

– Ensuring ownership by supporting demand-driven interventions that encourage the involvement of local communities in water and sanitation projects

– Promoting the integrated approach principles: Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles; strong stakeholder participation; a pro-poor emphasis and gender sensitivity

– Supporting improved governance principles by displaying real commitment to the development or improvement of sound national water policies, as well as modern and efficient water resources management

– Promoting the co-financing principle: the EU is funding up to 75% of the total eligible costs of the awarded projects

– Applying an open and transparent approach allowing equal opportunities for all stakeholders

European Union Responses

> Over 880 million people lack access to safe drinking water

> Lack of access to safe drinking water and lack of access to sanitation exacerbate the poverty trap

> Every year, more than 2.2 million people die prematurely from water-related illnesses

> Women and children suffer disproportionately from the lack of access to drinking water. They are the most affected by diseases that could easily be prevented with adequate access to safe water and basic sanitation

> More than 2.6 billion people do not have access to appropriate sanitation

Water and Sanitation Sector Challenges

For more information please visit the ACP-EU Water Facility website http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/acp/regional-cooperation/water/index_en.htm

For more information please contact: EuropeAid-WATER-FACILITY-HELPDESK@ec.europa.eu

Lessons LearntADVANTAGESThe main lessons learnt from the past eight years with the Water Facility show that it is:– Highly relevant, well-designed and targeted to

the national contexts and to overcoming sector blockages

– High impact by reaching significant numbers of beneficiaries with hygiene promotion activities, which is the most cost-effective intervention in public health to diminish the water-related diseases

– Value for money through the selection of high quality projects. This represents the best combination of budget and impact

– Supportive of the promotion of local governance and community participation

– Vital to the promotion of innovative projects

LIMITATIONS– Projects proposed in the Pacific and Caribbean

countries make up a small proportion of the overall demand

– The number of end-beneficiaries for improved sanitation at household level is significantly lower than for water supply and hygiene promotion

– The sustainability of the behaviour changes related to sanitation and hygiene within rural communities is uncertain within so short a timeframe

– The number of these high quality projects which can be supported are limited due to fund availability

RECOMMENDATIONS– Try to combine institutional support with immediate

results– A comprehensive Water Sanitation and Hygiene

(WASH) education approach is mandatory– Devote special attention to sanitation– Channel support directly through non-state actors.

This ensures high relevance, ownership, impact and value for money and a possibility to reach difficult areas, where institutional actors are not present

– Be ready for long-term interventions (seven to ten years)