Water for Asian Cities

The development objective of the Water for Asian Cities Programme is to support the implementation of the Millennium Declaration Goals related to cities, specifically promoting integrated urban water resource management, including participatory governance, community-based approaches, demand management, and increased attention to environmental sanitation. The programme will seek to achieve this by raising awareness through advocacy, information and education; training and capacity building; and pilot demonstrations.

The overriding thrust of the Water for Asian Cities Programme is to build capacity of city managers and water utilities in integrated urban water management and to anchor the enhanced capacity within the region for achieving sustainability objectives.



The Programme will focus on the following immediate objectives:

(i) Mobilization of political will through advocacy and exchange of information. Mobilizing political commitment will call for engaging policy level functionaries in the programme in a continuous manner. Information exchange will be facilitated through internet

(interactive network and website), newsletters, study visits, staff exchange etc.

(ii) Strengthening regional, country and city level capacities for integrated urban water management. This will require human resource development in a focused manner, strengthening the capacity of existing institutions and establishing a regional network of experts and institutions. Gender mainstreaming will be an important cross-cutting theme of capacity-building at all levels.

(iii) Creating a new ethic amongst children and communities through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education. Interventions will include: introducing water education in schools; establishing water education classrooms in pilot cities; community education,

training of trainers etc. Twinning of cities and schools will be part of this initiative.

(iv) Promoting integrated urban water management, through demonstration projects focusing on: income generation for the urban poor, demand management and environmental sanitation.