The Water Action Agenda and the High-Level Political Forum shed light on the lack of progress in achieving clean water and sanitation for all. To achieve SDG 6 by 2030, countries around the world must accelerate their development efforts significantly. We summarise the results and findings from the High-Level Political Forum 2023 that took place in July 2023. 

How can utilities in partner countries work more effectively and efficiently to meet people's needs for drinking water and wastewater while covering their costs? How can the German utilities best support their partners? These questions were the focus of the network event in Berlin which was attended by more than 70 participants from nine utility partnerships.

Stadtentwässerung Dresden now focuses women in the water sector more strongly, not only because travel opportunities for male employees of water utilities in Ukraine are very limited at the moment. In June 2023, Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH welcomed eight female laboratory technicians from five Vodokanals. In addition to visiting water treatment plants, the trip to Germany included a three-day laboratory course organised by the Saxony-Thuringia regional section of the German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste.

"This visit gave the whole project a boost," said Meike Lenzen, project engineer at OOWV. "There was a lot of interest in topics such as organic farming for groundwater protection, the quality of raw water and our environmental education sites" she reported from the expert exchange. The colleagues from Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality were particularly impressed by the water supply for the people on Spiekeroog and Langeoog via a freshwater lens below the respective island.

Three colleagues from Gelsenwasser accepted the invitation of their partner team from Lukanga Water Supply and Sanitation Company Limited and travelled to Kabwe, Zambia in May 2023. During the one-week visit, the focus of the cooperation was on reducing water losses by installing meters and improving the geographical information system. In addition, the team from Germany was able to give their Zambian partners a training session to introduce them to the basics of asset management. 

Along with HAMBURG WASSER, Netze BW Wasser welcomed their colleagues from Jordan Water Company "Miyahuna", Amman and Yarmouk Water Company, Irbid in the City of Stuttgart. For the visiting delegation, the insights into the daily work in the field of water supply and distribution were of special benefit, as the topography of Stuttgart is similar to some cities in Jordan. This study trip also revealed how important personal exchange between utilities are – in order to increase the efficiency of work and cooperation through new input.

May 2023 was all about Water Operators' Partnerships (WOPs) activities. In addition to the WOPs events in Bonn and Berlin, the utility partnerships of Dresden, Cologne and Berlin with Lviv, Ternopil and Nadvirna in Ukraine took the opportunity to work on project tasks, establish and consolidate their networks.

Operators in the Global South lose a lot of precious water due to leaks in the pipe network. Many waterworks do not cover their costs and consume too much energy. Optimising water filtration in wastewater treatment plants is also high on the agenda. More and more German water companies want to share their knowledge with partners in the Global South in order to jointly contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 "Clean Water and Sanitation".

Since January 2023, 36 companies from 10 German states have participated in the water sector's appeal for donations. A total of 52 goods packages consisting of 872 goods have been donated to 44 Ukrainian municipal enterprises (as of 26 July 2023). A sign of great solidarity with Ukraine! The number of solidarity utility partnerships with Ukraine also continues to rise, now to over ten.

The sixth German-Ukrainian municipal partnership conference will take place in Leipzig from 13 to 15 November 2023 and features a diverse programme comprising expert keynotes, networking opportunities and the exchange of experiences. German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze will contribute to the high-level event with their keynote presentations. Among the many technical workshops during the conference, the Utility Platform team will offer a workshop on water and wastewater.