"More and better water for less money" is the declared goal of process optimisation in the area of wastewater treatment in the partnership between Hamburg Wasser, hanseWasser Bremen and Miyahuna Water Company (Jordan). Hamburg Wasser and its Tanzanian partners, Kashwasa and Kuwasa, are pursuing the same objective in the field of drinking water treatment. The approach was received with great interest by the other partnerships. However, soft topics such as advisory skills or impact communication in social media also made up the agenda.

Why learn about intercultural differences between Ukrainians and Germans? Because they matter! For successful partnerships it is useful to understand underlying values and norms of your counterparts. This is why the utility platform offered a crash course on intercultural awareness for German and Ukrainian colleagues involved in solidarity water utility partnerships.

After a first initiating contact in June 2022 at the Munich-based Trade Fair for Environmental Technologies (IFAT), the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischen Wasserverband (OOWV) is now supporting the Ukrainian partner utilities Chernihivvodokanal and Miskvodokanal in Sumy with much-needed technical equipment and expertise to rehabilitate the water infrastructure. In an online event with over 40 participants, the colleagues from Sumy, Chernihiv and the OOWV gave inspiring insights into their partnership.

Which utility partnerships with Ukraine are already in place? Which ones will start soon? What are the thematic priorities and the latest news from the projects? What do I have to consider if I want to engage in a solidarity utility partnership? Check out our new special page! We also welcome new participating interests!

The colleagues from Miyahuna and Hamburg Wasser presented their Water Operators` Partnership (WOP) and its activities at the Arab Water Week and reported on the results of water production optimisation. During the visit to the Miyahuana operation sites, the partners agreed on a laboratory partnership for the next 1.5 years.

"The city of the future is green and blue" was the motto of the environmental education project for young people that the OOWV, the Wupperverband and the South African Metropolitan Municipality of Buffalo City organised simultaneously in their municipalities on the occasion of World Water Day. At the South African-German technical exchange in March 2023, the topics of effluent qualities, measuring techniques and energy generation were high on the agenda. The partners visited the wastewater treatment plants in Oldenburg and the drinking water protection zone of the Wupperverband.

The Global WOPs Alliance (GWOPA) will host its 5th Global Water Operators' Partnerships Congress from 23 to 25 May in Bonn, Germany. The event provides an ideal platform for international exchange of experiences, for sharing good practices across partnerships, for initiating new partnerships and for strengthening the international network.

Particularly in times of crisis, safe water resources and a well-functioning water and sanitation supply are part of the critical infrastructure of our society. At the same time, climate change, urbanisation and population growth are already exacerbating water shortages. join us to discuss with high-level guests how the water operator partnership approach can be further developed to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6.

After the BMZ event "Operator partnerships: A contribution to sustainable water security" with State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth on 24 May 2023, we invite all colleagues from our utility partnerships to a network meeting on the following two days. It will provide a great opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss new ideas. 

The United Nations World Water Conference can claim a number of major achievements. The central result of the conference is the global "Water Action Agenda". Member states and other actors have submitted more than 700 voluntary commitments to improve the drinking water and sanitation sector worldwide.

With the Urban Water Catalyst Initiative, Germany and the Netherlands are launching a global initiative to mobilise public and private investment for climate-resilient water operators and cities in the Global South.

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