The European Commission has adopted a proposal to allocate 1 billion EUR from the reserves of the European Development Fund (EDF) to improve access to water and sanitation for people in Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP).
This contributes towards deliver the Milenium Development Goal to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
1.1 billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water and 2.4 billion people do not have access to sanitation facilities. It has been estimated that there is a current annual financing gap of € 42 billion if the targets on water and sanitation are to be met. The objective of the proposed water facility is to boost the delivery of water and sanitation infrastructure in ACP countries by actively addressing the financing gap.
The proposed facility is based on three key principles:
Governance: It will support ACP countries with a real commitment to the development of sound national water policies.
Ownership: The facility will be demand driven and deepen the involvement of actors in ACP countries in the design and implementation of water policies.
Innovation and flexibility: Combinations of grants with other financial sources (such as soft loans, loan guarantees, micro-finance etc.) to fund basic infrastructure.
The UK Royal Society for the Promotion of Health (RSPH) welcomed the EU announcement on World Water Day, 22 March 2004 and called on the Member States to release the funds immediately.
