World Bank
FROM INFVP
(MON) 4. 11' 05 13 : 00T. 13 07,//NO. 4864610094 P 2
Presentation by Kathy Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Infrastructure
at 13th Session of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development
Mr. Chairman, Honorable Ministers, Your Excellencies, Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen :
The World Bank delegation appreciates the productive discussions in the past days . We
commend the CSD chair and the United Nations for organizing a series of focused and
high-quality discussions .
Many of the discussions at CSD-13 have focused on the "desirable" . While we should
never stop focusing on our long term aspirations, it is imperative to focus on feasible
actions to implement our dream. The major challenge facing the development community
is one of implementation . Today, I would like to focus on feasible, actions to provide
water supply and sanitation services to the urban poor .
Why focus on the urban poor?
The majority of population growth in the developing world over the next two dec4d9s is
projected to occur in urban areas . Informal settlements are mushrooming . In manj ckties
i
in developing countries they now account for 40 - 70% of the population . Informal
settlements are characterized by poor housing structures, water supply and sanitation
services, roads, and communication facilities . Absence of land tenure and lack of
effective `voice' are often binding constraints for the poor to get access to minimally
adequate services.
I
FROM INFVP
What are the main c
poor?
The poor already pay
pay for water, the poor
for water from vend
illegal connections to s
sources .
Absence of land tenur
minimally adequate se
they may lack the legal
under existing legal an
other government rcfo
utilities .
Poor utility performance hurts the poor more than others. During shortages, ratiQ
11
1
n-.ng
of water affects the pocr most adversely as their storage facilities are either non-e*islent
or inadequate . They are commonly dependent on daily wages which means that, any
time spent queuing fcr and collecting water cuts into their earnings . People with little
political influence often have to resort to bribery in order to obtain services they sliould
be entitled to, or else they go without . Fundamentally, utilities that are not financially
viable find it difficult t extend service to new areas, particularly the peri-urban' ar as,
i
2
where the poor live .
(MON) 4 . 11'05 13 08/ST. 13 :07 NO, 4864610094 P 3
3
allenges in delivering water supply and sanitation to the urban
high price for water. Despite the perception that the poor cannot
often pay more than better-off consumers : for instance paying
s at high cost, bribing water officials, paying fees for access to
urn landlords, or queuing for long hours at public water
is often a binding constraint for the poor to get access to
vices. The poor often reside in unplanned or informal areas, and
status to demand, or qualify for, direct access to formal services
regulatory frameworks . Granting tenure may be the subject of
measures, and is invariably outside the mandate of water
FROM INFVP
(MM 4, 11' 05 13 :08/ST. 13 :07/NO, 4864610094 P 4
4 -
The urban poor often rely on small-scale providers. Private vendors to community
groups play a significant role in delivering water supply services, particularly poor
households in slums . It is estimated that up to a quarter of the urban population in Latin
America and nearly half of the urban population in Africa rely on small-scale providers .
The sanitation crisis is acute in the rapidly growing high-density slums . Given the
scale of the problem in urban areas, more effort should be placed on building sanitation
firmly into the urban development prognosis . Progress needs to be made on at least two
fronts. First, the process of restructuring informal settlements needs to be accelerated and
needs to integrate sanitation and hygiene provision . At the same time the informal, sector
should' be supported to serve communities until the restructuring is well under way.
So what needs to be done. . .
And how does the World Bank support client countries to reach the urban poor?
Providing better WSS services to the urban poor requires concerted action with i i
broader citywide initiatives . The World Bank Urban Strategy focuses on livability, ,
bankability, competitiveness, and good governance of cities. Reaching poor consumers
will require engagement with policy and regulatory processes at national and city level,
and the integration of environmental sanitation, hygiene education and water supply
issues within broader citywide initiatives . This will need to be done within the context of
urban and local government reform initiatives, and in the preparation of city devel p~nent
strategies.
3
FROM INFVP
(MON) 4. 11' 05 13 : 0947. 13 :07/NO, 4864610094 P 5
}W1 urvJ1(V? uAln.
Extending Water Supply and Sanitation Services to the Urban Poor is an important area
of work for the World Bank . Reaching poor households requires both targeted
interventions and broader actions at the municipal level .
Let me briefly focus on three key elements :
1 .
Working with utilities to ensure that utilities offer communities a menu of
service options with appropriate tariffs and subsidies ;
2.
Expanding the range of service providers to include small-scale operators ;
and
3 .
Increasing the emphasis on both the hardware and software elements of
sanitation .
We support countries to design and implement utility reform that help the poor. The
needed changes in service provision usually require overhauling legal, regulatory and
institutional frameworks . As part of utility reform, utilities need to seek innovative ways
to address the constraints to service provision in low-income areas_
An example of this is the two consecutive IDA credits that supported the governrr en't of
Senegal, supported, to bring in a private operator . The program has successfully
connected about 60,000 low-income households living in slums under a comprehensive
program of public standpipes and economical house connections. The public asset
holding company also contracts with a CSO whose main work is to assist development of
slums that lack infrastructure; it helps them identify leaders, elicit preferences for
improved water and sanitation, and communicate their views to thegovernment and
private operator.
4
rJ
FROM INFVP
We have to expand the
think all of us agree
not be achieved in the
meantime - which ofte
served the gaps are bei
The World Bank and th
utilities and water vend
the role of independent
strong relationships un
Scaling up our suppo
challenge in the comin
institutional and financi
affordable sanitation so .
to better support other countries .
(MON) 4. 11'05 13 09/S7 . 13 :07/NO. 4864610094 P 6
6
range of service providers to include shall-scale operators. I
the "ultimate goal" is a household connection for all . This will
ort term in many countries, so the question is what to do in the
might be a rather long time. Ignoring the problem has not made
it go away . The only so utions are work with what you have - for the unserved or underg
filled by self provision or small scale providers.
Water and Sanitation Program have been working with water
rs' associations in Africa to strengthen their capacity to optimize
roviders. Water utilities, policy makers and NGOs have built
er the Water Utilities Partnership in Africa .
to our clients on sanitation and hygiene is probably our biggest
three to five years. The challenge is not so much technical, but
We have to collective get better at large scale sustainable
utions.
We are in a learning m
launch a pilot project c
nearly one million urbb it poor, PROSANEAR became a national program financed fully
by national funds. PRO
water company has bee
we learned from the PR ANEAR has a flexible learning-by-doing approach . Each.'!
partici d ate
I P
state
free to incorporate participation, using its own procedures . ~Jhat
SANEAR experience was that communities should
.1
de here . For instance we supported the government of Brazil ; to
led PROSANEAR in the mid 1990s, After extending services to
ecovery and tariff policy. We also learned that water and
hould be carried out as part of a local area development plan,
fully, especially in cost
sanitation interventions
and critical complemen ary investments should be identified early in the process . We are
now using those lesson
FROM INFVP
(MON) 4 . 11' 05 13 :09/ST . 13 :07/NO. 4864610094 P 7
In conclusion
At the World Bank we believe that investments to improve services to the urban poor are
vital for growth and poverty reduction . And we believe that a lot has been learned about
feasible actions to do this . The World Bank is firmly committed to staying heavily
engaged and to continuing, along with our borrowing countries, to learn the lessons of
experience and build on these .
The raison d'etre of the World Bank Group is the reduction of poverty. Water, sanitation
and human settlements are at the very core of our mission . We look forward on working
with you to extend services to the urban poor .
(MON) 4. 11' 05 13 : 00T. 13 07,//NO. 4864610094 P 2
Presentation by Kathy Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Infrastructure
at 13th Session of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development
Mr. Chairman, Honorable Ministers, Your Excellencies, Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen :
The World Bank delegation appreciates the productive discussions in the past days . We
commend the CSD chair and the United Nations for organizing a series of focused and
high-quality discussions .
Many of the discussions at CSD-13 have focused on the "desirable" . While we should
never stop focusing on our long term aspirations, it is imperative to focus on feasible
actions to implement our dream. The major challenge facing the development community
is one of implementation . Today, I would like to focus on feasible, actions to provide
water supply and sanitation services to the urban poor .
Why focus on the urban poor?
The majority of population growth in the developing world over the next two dec4d9s is
projected to occur in urban areas . Informal settlements are mushrooming . In manj ckties
i
in developing countries they now account for 40 - 70% of the population . Informal
settlements are characterized by poor housing structures, water supply and sanitation
services, roads, and communication facilities . Absence of land tenure and lack of
effective `voice' are often binding constraints for the poor to get access to minimally
adequate services.
I
FROM INFVP
What are the main c
poor?
The poor already pay
pay for water, the poor
for water from vend
illegal connections to s
sources .
Absence of land tenur
minimally adequate se
they may lack the legal
under existing legal an
other government rcfo
utilities .
Poor utility performance hurts the poor more than others. During shortages, ratiQ
11
1
n-.ng
of water affects the pocr most adversely as their storage facilities are either non-e*islent
or inadequate . They are commonly dependent on daily wages which means that, any
time spent queuing fcr and collecting water cuts into their earnings . People with little
political influence often have to resort to bribery in order to obtain services they sliould
be entitled to, or else they go without . Fundamentally, utilities that are not financially
viable find it difficult t extend service to new areas, particularly the peri-urban' ar as,
i
2
where the poor live .
(MON) 4 . 11'05 13 08/ST. 13 :07 NO, 4864610094 P 3
3
allenges in delivering water supply and sanitation to the urban
high price for water. Despite the perception that the poor cannot
often pay more than better-off consumers : for instance paying
s at high cost, bribing water officials, paying fees for access to
urn landlords, or queuing for long hours at public water
is often a binding constraint for the poor to get access to
vices. The poor often reside in unplanned or informal areas, and
status to demand, or qualify for, direct access to formal services
regulatory frameworks . Granting tenure may be the subject of
measures, and is invariably outside the mandate of water
FROM INFVP
(MM 4, 11' 05 13 :08/ST. 13 :07/NO, 4864610094 P 4
4 -
The urban poor often rely on small-scale providers. Private vendors to community
groups play a significant role in delivering water supply services, particularly poor
households in slums . It is estimated that up to a quarter of the urban population in Latin
America and nearly half of the urban population in Africa rely on small-scale providers .
The sanitation crisis is acute in the rapidly growing high-density slums . Given the
scale of the problem in urban areas, more effort should be placed on building sanitation
firmly into the urban development prognosis . Progress needs to be made on at least two
fronts. First, the process of restructuring informal settlements needs to be accelerated and
needs to integrate sanitation and hygiene provision . At the same time the informal, sector
should' be supported to serve communities until the restructuring is well under way.
So what needs to be done. . .
And how does the World Bank support client countries to reach the urban poor?
Providing better WSS services to the urban poor requires concerted action with i i
broader citywide initiatives . The World Bank Urban Strategy focuses on livability, ,
bankability, competitiveness, and good governance of cities. Reaching poor consumers
will require engagement with policy and regulatory processes at national and city level,
and the integration of environmental sanitation, hygiene education and water supply
issues within broader citywide initiatives . This will need to be done within the context of
urban and local government reform initiatives, and in the preparation of city devel p~nent
strategies.
3
FROM INFVP
(MON) 4. 11' 05 13 : 0947. 13 :07/NO, 4864610094 P 5
}W1 urvJ1(V? uAln.
Extending Water Supply and Sanitation Services to the Urban Poor is an important area
of work for the World Bank . Reaching poor households requires both targeted
interventions and broader actions at the municipal level .
Let me briefly focus on three key elements :
1 .
Working with utilities to ensure that utilities offer communities a menu of
service options with appropriate tariffs and subsidies ;
2.
Expanding the range of service providers to include small-scale operators ;
and
3 .
Increasing the emphasis on both the hardware and software elements of
sanitation .
We support countries to design and implement utility reform that help the poor. The
needed changes in service provision usually require overhauling legal, regulatory and
institutional frameworks . As part of utility reform, utilities need to seek innovative ways
to address the constraints to service provision in low-income areas_
An example of this is the two consecutive IDA credits that supported the governrr en't of
Senegal, supported, to bring in a private operator . The program has successfully
connected about 60,000 low-income households living in slums under a comprehensive
program of public standpipes and economical house connections. The public asset
holding company also contracts with a CSO whose main work is to assist development of
slums that lack infrastructure; it helps them identify leaders, elicit preferences for
improved water and sanitation, and communicate their views to thegovernment and
private operator.
4
rJ
FROM INFVP
We have to expand the
think all of us agree
not be achieved in the
meantime - which ofte
served the gaps are bei
The World Bank and th
utilities and water vend
the role of independent
strong relationships un
Scaling up our suppo
challenge in the comin
institutional and financi
affordable sanitation so .
to better support other countries .
(MON) 4. 11'05 13 09/S7 . 13 :07/NO. 4864610094 P 6
6
range of service providers to include shall-scale operators. I
the "ultimate goal" is a household connection for all . This will
ort term in many countries, so the question is what to do in the
might be a rather long time. Ignoring the problem has not made
it go away . The only so utions are work with what you have - for the unserved or underg
filled by self provision or small scale providers.
Water and Sanitation Program have been working with water
rs' associations in Africa to strengthen their capacity to optimize
roviders. Water utilities, policy makers and NGOs have built
er the Water Utilities Partnership in Africa .
to our clients on sanitation and hygiene is probably our biggest
three to five years. The challenge is not so much technical, but
We have to collective get better at large scale sustainable
utions.
We are in a learning m
launch a pilot project c
nearly one million urbb it poor, PROSANEAR became a national program financed fully
by national funds. PRO
water company has bee
we learned from the PR ANEAR has a flexible learning-by-doing approach . Each.'!
partici d ate
I P
state
free to incorporate participation, using its own procedures . ~Jhat
SANEAR experience was that communities should
.1
de here . For instance we supported the government of Brazil ; to
led PROSANEAR in the mid 1990s, After extending services to
ecovery and tariff policy. We also learned that water and
hould be carried out as part of a local area development plan,
fully, especially in cost
sanitation interventions
and critical complemen ary investments should be identified early in the process . We are
now using those lesson
FROM INFVP
(MON) 4 . 11' 05 13 :09/ST . 13 :07/NO. 4864610094 P 7
In conclusion
At the World Bank we believe that investments to improve services to the urban poor are
vital for growth and poverty reduction . And we believe that a lot has been learned about
feasible actions to do this . The World Bank is firmly committed to staying heavily
engaged and to continuing, along with our borrowing countries, to learn the lessons of
experience and build on these .
The raison d'etre of the World Bank Group is the reduction of poverty. Water, sanitation
and human settlements are at the very core of our mission . We look forward on working
with you to extend services to the urban poor .
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