Euro-Mediterranean Water and Poverty Facility (EuroMed WPF): A Tripartite Programme of Action

The majority of the population in the Mediterranean countries (particularly in the South and East) lives in rapidly expanding cities, with considerable proportions being at the lowest income brackets. In their everyday life, a large part of the urban population suffers from water quality and quantity inadequacies, serious sanitation problems and their dwellings are frequently endangered by natural disasters (e.g. floods). These problems are in turn responsible for improper livelihood conditions, serious deterioration of their health as well as the social and natural environment.

However, at present, many major water programmes fail to consider the needs of the poor and their contribution to poverty alleviation is by far less than it could be if proper provisions are build in during the design phase.

The Euro-Mediterranean Water and Poverty Facility (WPF) aims to:

- Assist in improving the livelihoods of poor people in urban areas of the Mediterranean, particularly in relation to water and sanitation

- Contribute in designing guidelines on social performance of water pricing

- Develop guidelines and expertise in order to facilitate the integration of poverty reduction components in major water projects of the region

- Develop functional tripartite initiatives to facilitate regional and national investment on water and poverty.

Key dimensions to be addressed by the WPF are: improving livelihoods, improving health, mitigating vulnerability of the poor under extraordinary conditions and events such as disasters related to water (e.g. floods).

The WPF will not handle or manage funding but it will elaborate, in collaboration with both donors and recipient partners and the competent authorities and bodies, common strategies and action plans and will support implementation mechanisms with the participation of a wide range of stakeholders. In addition, it will act as a multiplier for sustainable investment in the water sector securing, in parallel, to the extent possible, the introduction of poverty reduction components in water projects -particularly those financed by European sources. Finally, it may act as a match-maker between the supply and demand side in projects targeting water supply and sanitation for the urban poor.