Managing Water for African Cities

Partners: The Programme works with city and local authorities, national governments, the private sector, civil society, resource centres and the media. It is a product of the United Nations System-wide Initiative on Africa (UNSIA) and of the broad partnership of the UNSIA Water Cluster. National Steering Committees administer the city projects of the Programme. Objectives: The objective of the Programme is to tackle the urban water crisis in African cities through efficient and effective water demand management, build capacity to mitigate the environmental impact of urbanisation on freshwater resources and boost awareness and information exchange on water management and conservation. It also promotes the exchange of best practices in urban water management in support of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. Key Clients and Countries Covered: The Programme is intended for the benefit of all African cities and is being demonstrated in seven African cities, namely: Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire), Accra (Ghana), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Dakar (Senegal), Johannesburg (South Africa), Lusaka (Zambia) and Nairobi (Kenya). Targeted beneficiaries include policy makers on water and the environment, city managers of water utilities, water consumers, school children for water education, and the mass media for awareness promotion. Working Methods: A Programme management team of UNEP and UN-HABITAT staff guides and backstops city projects and co-ordinates region-wide activities from Nairobi. A website and listserve provide electronic bilingual English/French communication services for the entire Programme, while periodic city managers' meetings and resource centres provide networking and pooling of Programme experiences. Publications, especially a hardcopy newsletter, augment information exchange. Flagship Products and Activities: Awareness building and public information; public communication and outreach; water conservation flyers; seminars and workshops; training of city managers including study visits are produced to promote a demand-side perspective of water management including water pollution control methods, gender mainstreaming and improvement of water access to the urban poor and peri-urban areas. Contact: The Co-ordinator Water for African Cities Programme UN-HABITAT P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: 254-20-623039 Fax: 254-20-623588 E-mail: wacmail@unhabitat.org Web-site: www.un-urbanwater.net