Dear readers,
"When you jump into cold water, you dive into a sea of possibilities." This little piece of wisdom about water describes quite well the process that many utility partnerships are currently going through. Delegations from water utilities are visiting each other, such as colleagues from Kyiv at Hamburg Wasser, a South African team from Buffalo City in Oldenburg and Radevormwald, or representatives of Saxon water and wastewater utilities in Mansa, Zambia. The technical discussions are being intensified, cooperation is being strengthened, best practices are being transferred and new fields of cooperation are being explored. Let our insights inspire you!
The solidarity utility partnerships between German and Ukrainian municipal enterprises continue to be a particular focus of our work. In two well-attended virtual "YOUtility Lunches", we provided tips and tricks for cooperation and pointed out possible pitfalls and faux pas due to different working cultures.
In addition, the Utility Platform will be represented at the German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference 2023 with its own expert forum: "Water and Sanitation in Ukraine - What Partnership Approaches Help in War and Reconstruction?"
We were also pleased that the work of the Utility Platform and its 14 Solidarity Utility Partnerships was recognised by an invitation to present at the Lviv Eco Forum 2023. Last but not least, utility partnerships in the waste sector are now also gaining momentum. Two partnerships with German and Albanian municipal companies and one between a German and a Ukrainian waste management company were recently established. We will report more on this in the next issue and soon on our website.
We wish you inspiring reading!
Your team of the Utility Platform Heiko Heidemann (GIZ) and Linda Engel (SKEW)
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