Create meaningful partnerships 'together with' the people; only then can the slogan "Water and Sanitation for all" be turned into a longer lasting achievement". This message to governments and non-governmental agencies was voiced loud and clear by 34 experts form 14 countries participating in "The Local Decade" Symposium in 1984. IRC Newsletter no 155, July/ Sep 1984

This quote from IRC's 15th anniversary symposium 20 years ago is telling. It was a warning that setting ambitious global targets in the United Nations Water Decade (1981 -1990) had to be combined with meaningful local involvement. Now we have the same discussion going on around the UN Millennium Development Goals. With one difference: the water and sanitation targets are less ambitious than 20 years ago: the target now is, by 2015, to halve the number of people without safe water and sanitation.

In this period, the rapid pace of IRC's programme expansion continued, with more sanitation studies being introduced. New activities included renewable energy sources, rainwater harvesting, pre-treatment systems, household water and sanitation options and hygiene education, both in water supply and sanitation programmes and in schools.

First title on role of women

IRC's 15th anniversary also coincided with another landmark - the Centre's first project specifically related to the role of women. Participation of Women in Water Supply and Sanitation: roles and realities, published in 1985 in collaboration with the UNDP/PROWESS programme has for 13 years been a standard text on the topic. From 1991-1998 Norwegian aid agency NORAD co-funded the annual abstract journal Woman, Water, Sanitation. Author Christine van Wijk developed her knowledge further and consolidated her work in a title which was published in 1998 by IRC as: Gender in Water Resources Management, Water Supply and Sanitation: Roles and Realities Revisited, (Technical Paper series no. 33-E). Christine was also instrumental in the Gender network of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council that in 2000 culminated in the establishment of the Gender and Water Alliance, with its secretariat at IRC.

In the mid 1980s IRC's publishing approach changed from technical documentation through coverage of social issues to a fully integrated approach. Titles and content were co-written by IRC staff or consultants with partners in the field, to help them to prepare their own reports.

Information and communication

In 1984, information and communication was further streamlined by two new initiatives: computerisation of the extensive and rapidly growing documentation unit and launch of a Current Awareness Bulletin, the first regular listing and dissemination of news items and contents pages from a wide range of water and sanitation journals. The bulletin continued into the 1990s but eventually had to be cancelled because of rising mailout costs.

In 1998 the electronic Source Water and Sanitation News emerged with e-mail and Internet, produced by the IRC with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council. This provides selected news about the sector free of charge to an increasing number of subscribers. Council news is published six times per year on paper in (this) eight-page Source Bulletin, replacing the Water Newsletter.

Collaboration

In 1984 former Ambassador Hugo Scheltema became chairman of IRC's international Governing Board. His international and diplomatic experience and network of contacts proved invaluable in steering IRC's international involvement and influence. He also guided the 1988 Hague Consultation to its decision to establish the External Support Agency (ESA) Collaborative Council, which can be considered to be the predecessor of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council.

Titles published

By the end of 1988 10 titles were published in the Occasional Paper Series that replaced the Bulletin Series in 1983. Six titles were published in the Technical Paper Series. Among them:

• Participation of Women in Water Supply and Sanitation: roles and realities, Christine van Wijk, 1985, TP series no 22

• Making the Links: guidelines for hygiene education in community water supply and sanitation, with particular emphasis on public standpost water supplies, Marieke T. Boot, 1984, Occasional paper series no 5

• Renewable Energy Sources for Rural Water Supply, Ebbo H. Hofkes and Jan Teun Visscher, 1987, Technical Paper series no 23

• Handpumps: issues and concepts in rural water supply programmes Prepared by IRC in cooperation with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, 1988, Technical Paper series no 25

• Ten years of Experience: Community Water Supply and Sanitation Programme, Pokhara. Western Nepal, Han Heijnen and Marieke Boot, 1988, Technical Paper series no 26

• Hygiene Education in Water Supply and Sanitation Programmes: literature review with selected and annotated bibliography, Lizette Burgers, Marieke Boot and Christine van Wijk-Sijbesma, 1988, Technical Paper series no 27

Tags: gender, information and communication, water lifting devices