The launch of the G8-Africa Water Partnership promised to be a centrepiece of the G8 Summit in L'Aquila but it contained no specific actions and no extra finance, the End Water Poverty campaign said. "A G8 progress report outlining actions on water since the launch of the G8 Evian Water Plan in 2003 [1] shows that the bulk of reported funding increases have gone to Iraq and other regions of political and economic interest rather [than to] those of greatest need".

The official statement [2], released on 10 July 2009, explained that the Partnership between the G8 and the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), under the leadership of the African Union (AU), would "continue working, on the basis of commitments previously undertaken". These included prioritising water-related MDGs and the allocation of resources within national budget. G8 countries have promised to help build capacity in African countries for national water and sanitation planning and to improve donor coordination.

The G8 said it would present a strengthened Africa-G8 Partnership on Water and Sanitation by the end of 2009, possibly during the Africa Water Week due to take place in November 2009 in South Africa.

[1] Water - A G8 Action Plan

[2] A Stronger G8-Africa Partnership on Water and Sanitation

Related news: G8: disappointment at lack of “a breakthrough in the global sanitation and water crisis”, Source Weekly, 25 Sep 2008

Contact: End Water Poverty, c/o WaterAid, UK, info@endwaterpoverty.org

Source: End Water Poverty, 10 Jul 2009

Tags: africa, policies & legislation, sanitation, water supply