2007 Ground Water Summit

Wednesday, May 2, 2007 : 8:00 a.m.

New U.S. Momentum on Behalf of Extending Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation Services to the Developing World

David Douglas, Water Advocates / Water Lines

   This presentation will highlight the unprecedented U.S. public and private-citizen momentum to bring safe drinking water and sanitation to the world’s poor. Diseases related to unclean water kill between two and five million people each year, cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world, and undermine sustainable economic and human development. This under-reported crisis is receiving increased attention by U.S. policymakers and concerned corporations, foundations, and NGOs, as demonstrated by four developments:

    First, in late 2005 an overwhelming bi-partisan majority in the U.S. Congress passed the Senator Paul Simon Water For The Poor Act, which elevates global safe drinking water to a key priority of U.S. foreign developmental aid and encourages public-private partnerships. It will lead to increased U.S. funding for long-term, sustainable drinking water and sanitation projects.

 

    Second, more than a dozen experienced implementing organizations have come together in the Millennium Water Alliance with a goal of helping millions obtain adequate water and basic sanitation. Through the MWA, these respected groups are coordinating efforts and scaling up their work to translate increased funding into expanded, effective, community-based projects.

 

    Third, Water Advocates was launched in 2005 as the nation's first full-time advocacy organization on behalf of international drinking water and sanitation. Based in Washington D.C., Water Advocates neither implements projects nor seeks contributions for itself, but rather works to raise new funding for the water and sanitation sector from the U.S. Congress, civic organizations, faith-based groups, corporations and foundations. 

 

    Fourth, the UN Foundation's new Global Water Challenge is bringing together corporations, foundations and other funders to pool increased resources for drinking water and sanitation projects. Not an implementing organization itself, the GWC assures 100% pass-through of donations to experienced implementing organizations in the field, provides fiduciary oversight and assures accountability for project results.

David Douglas, Water Advocates / Water Lines David Douglas is President of the Washington DC-based Water Advocates, the first advocacy organization devoted full-time to increasing America's public and private involvement and funding on behalf of safe, affordable and sustainable supplies of drinking water and adequate sanitation around the world. He has headed for 20 years the all-volunteer Santa Fe-based non-profit, Waterlines, which has provided technical help and funding for drinking water projects in over 300 rural communities in 14 developing countries. He has also worked as an environmental lawyer and written extensively on international drinking water and sanitation issues for environmental, religious and developmental magazines. He is the author of Wilderness Sojourn: Notes in the Desert Silence and co-author of Pilgrims in the Kingdom: Travels in Christian Britain.


The 2007 Ground Water Summit