UNW-DPC and UN-Habitat International Workshop: Drinking Water Loss Reduction

The UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) hosted by UNU at UN Campus in Bonn, is a joint programme of UN Agencies and Programmes cooperating within the framework of UN-Water. UNW-DPC is dedicated to capacity development in all water related issues including water supply and sanitation. The control of drinking water losses in distribution systems is part of its overall dedication. This deserves immediate attention and appropriate action to reduce avoidable stress on the scarce and valuable water resources. Many cities around the world face this problem. However several major cities have already started programmes geared towards stepwise reduction of the losses. The workshop aims at the exchange of experiences made within the different national programmes.

It is well known, that different institutions and water suppliers have developed and implemented strategies and technologies to control leakage and water loss. These strategies have proven highest efficiency and received worldwide recognition. UNW-DPC has concentrated on the most promising and urgently needed approaches, highlighting especially the institutional capacity development. The focus lies on developing countries and countries with economies in transition, especially those under water stress.

Targetting Management for Change

To counteract against the drinking water loss problem UNW-DPC is co-organizing the workshop on Capacity Development for Drinking Water Loss Reduction together with UN-Habitat. With the workshop UNW-DPC and UN-Habitat hope to encourage follow-up projects and help to establish communication between the policy makers, but also with the providers of technical means.

Participants and Contributors

The workshop has been conceived to attract decision and policy makers from various cities from Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. The aim is to share experiences with counterparts from water supply companies from Germany and some neighbouring countries.

Providers of innovative technical means for detection and control of unaccounted flow, leakage control and water metering are invited to present their products and approaches. Presentations of success stories and various management systems of water supply and also the development of capacity and the establishment of cooperation in order to apply best available technical and managerial solutions are the ultimate goals of the event.

Workshop Programme

The workshop will take place at the premises of the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany 3 - 5 September 2008.

Structure:

• opening plenary
  
• thematic Sessions:
• Technical solutions and case studies
• Political & administrative solutions and case studies
• Tools for capacity development and case studies
• summarizing plenary incl. reports, discussion; and follow-up projects

Partners:

• BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany)
• BMZ (Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany)
  
• IBWS (Initiativbüro Wasserstrategie, Germany)
  
• PTKA (Projektträger Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany)
  
• GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, Germany)
  
• InWent (Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung, Germany)
  
• DWA (German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste)
  
• DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water)
  
• BIBB (Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Germany)
  
• German Water Partnership