International Solidarity Financing Initiatives for water and sanitation in Belgium

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International Solidarity Financing Initiatives
for water and sanitation in Belgium

• Zaragoza 9th september 2008
• Marc Despiegelaere

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PROTOS

• Non - Governmental Organisation
• Founded in 1977
• Facilitating sustainable and empowering
  development processes that are well integrated in
  the local cultural and social context and that
  strive to improve the general well being of the
  destitute groups in the South.
• By programs on
• drinking water
• sanitation
• water for agriculture
• In framework of IWRM

Water, THE lever for development
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ODA is federal (Belgian) responsibility
WATER is regional responsibility (3 regions)
Drinking water distribution by
inter-municipality structures
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Flemish Partnership Water for Development
Platform, founded on WWD 2004, of Flemish
ministry of Environment, public and private
water-actors, academic world, ngo s
By 2015, Give access to drinking water for 6
million people in the South, as many as there
are Flemish people
By stimulating partnerships for
co-financing and/or exchange of
knowledge/expertise
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• How it operates
• Yearly discretionary BUDGET ALLOCATION
• by minister of environment
• Call for proposals in which one proposes a
  project and requests for certain amount of
  co-financing
• Must be minimum 2 partners
• Show clearly the added value of the partnership
• Voluntary Corporate add-on a very good system
  to obtain
• leverage ( all public inter-municipality
  structures and more and more private water
  actors do contribute
• Water must be public managed good
• Proposals are screened by independent experts

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• Results 2005-2007
• 16 project approved
• Budget in

Total people served direct to DW 116.000
to SAN 79.000 indirect
725.000 Some very nice examples of good transfer
of knowledge/expertise Budget 2008 allocated
from Flemish Government 450.000
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• Action plan to speed-up
• Try to achieve a fixed BUDGET ALLOCATION
• for next 5 years from new Flemish
  government (2009-13)
• Look for co-operation with other departments of
  the Flemish government
• Expand platform of private water-actors to
  increase voluntary corporate add-ons
• Expand platform of academic world
• Look for funding from foundations / legs

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Wallonia

• Minister of environment announced international
  solidarity fund for water in march 2006 during
  4th WWF Mexico
• Wallonia has an internal solidarity fund to
  support people not capable of paying bill, funded
  by 0.00125/m³. Plan was to double this
  contribution for international solidarity fund.
  ()
• Late 2007 State Council did not agree with this
  approach in Belgium, there is no legal
  justification for a mandatory levy on water bill
  for development activities
• () if this plan would have been approved, it
  would generate about 2 million /yr

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Wallonia ( continued)

• May 2008 Walloon government voted a Decret
  (law) that International Fund for Solidarity for
  water will be funded by money coming from the
  Walloon region, the drinking water distributors,
  the sanitation inter-municipalities, donations
  and legs
• Protocol to be agreed between Walloon government
  and water distributors and sanitation
  inter-municipalities to fix amount of for 3
  years status today is unknown. (?)
• Principle will be system call for proposals
  exact way of working not yet communicated.
  Intention to start in 2008 (?)
• Conclusion nice plans, but not yet in operation

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Brussels

• October 2006 Ordonnance (law) water policy
  foresees the principle of solidarity with people
  in South lacking access to drinking water.
• March 2008 Proposal for Arrêté, fixing the
  implementation modalities 5 levels of levy
  charges()
• 0 on first 15m³ 0.0055 (15-30 m³) up to
  0.009/ m³ for non-domestic consumers.
• Waiting for advice of State Council
• If approved, the system would generate
  350.000/yr

Conclusion nice plans, but not yet in operation
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Belgium

• Foundation Elisabeth and Amélie
• ( managed by King Baudouin Foundation)
• Support fair and sustainable water management in
  the South
• 2007
• Budget 2007 approx 100.000
• Limited Call for proposals
• 6 projects approved for support
• 2008
• Budget 2008 approx 250.000
• Open Call for proposals about 50
  organisations applied.
• 11 projects approved for support X in 2nd round
  beginning October

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Belgium

• Some municipalities / towns do have a
• Twinning partnership with water as a topic
• Bierbeek with Oña Ecuador
• Evere wih Lokassa Benin
• Some munipalities of Brussels with cities in
  Marocco
• At present small budgets 5 15.000 / yr
• New walloon solidarity mechanism will stimulate
  twinning partnerships with water as a working
  topic

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Any questions?
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