Goal of the Toolkit
The goal of this initiative is effective water governance for all water users. One of many methods to achieve this is through Public-Private Partnerships for water services. Partnerships that create clear communication channels among partners and stakeholders are more likely to provide effective water governance. The ten themes in this initiative seek to contribute toward improved water partnerships, and hopefully effective water governance for all users.
Introducing the 10 Themes
The guidance toolkit linked to these pages was developed to provide suggestions for the design and implementation of Public-Private Partnerships in water supply services that aim to be transparent, effective, efficient and equitable. The interlinked instruments start at the policy/decision-maker level by describing basic values and key factors (the Policy Principles).
These ideas are translated into the implementation phases of a typical PPP through the Implementation Guidelines, and complement the recommendations with references to supportive tools that exist elsewhere (in the Tool Container – a library of documents from organisations and researchers around the world). Although the original focus of the instruments was on the involvement of the private sector in water supply services, much of the content is also applicable for systems managed by public utilities.
How the 10 Themes Were Shaped
Over 300 stakeholder representatives have helped to shape these tools, including representatives from national, regional and local governments, UN and multilateral organisations, local authorities, public utilities, civil-society organisations, private companies, business organisations, labour unions, international financial institutions and development agencies, as well as water expert groups.
Several drafts of the policy-level document, “Policy Principles,” were produced and discussed in an open consultation process. The operational guidance document, "Implementation Guidelines", was developed in collaboration with renowned experts in the field and submitted thorough a review process. To ensure and verify the applicability to varying contexts, regional multi-stakeholder discussions and applications were held before producing a "Version 1" of the instruments.
The Designers and Implementers
The toolkit was originally designed by The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue through a rigorous multi-stakeholder process. Their common objective in this initiative was to enable optimal use of PPP as one option that contributes to the overall performance improvements of water supply and sanitation services. While Swiss Re contributed its risk expertise in this partnership, SDC and SECO placed additional emphasis on improving the sustainability and poverty focus of PPPs.
This consortium approached BPD to share the framework with and gather feedback from water professionals through its research and training activities.