25th AGUASAN WORKSHOP – 22 TO 26 JUNE 2009

Water and Sanitation (WatSan) is a central determinant of socio-economic development and hence of effective poverty reduction and the achievement all the Millennium Development Goals. It is also key in any humanitarian aid intervention, e.g. due to the serious hygiene problems brought about by disasters and crises with their direct consequences on the health of large groups of people. Finally, it is an integral part of any adaptation strategy to climate change.

Although the importance of WatSan in emergency relief, rehabilitation and development activities being widely acknowledged, successful interactions between them remains largely a challenge. Often the humanitarian aid and the development cooperation communities are considered having opposed visions on the issue, but most probably they have much more in common than they per-ceive. And most often these different forms of assistance happen simultaneously within the same place and at the same time - an undeniable fact that forms the basis of the concept of contiguum. Hence, this year’s AGUASAN workshop aims to find answers to the following key questions:

-   What are the practical constraints of both the humanitarian aid and development cooperation approaches in the WatSan sector in various contexts and situations?

-    Which aspects of a WatSan sector development strategy are to be taken into account in a given emergency intervention in order to allow for subsequent successful transition?

-    Which aspects of disaster risk reduction can be integrated meaningfully into development cooperation approaches for the WatSan sector in given contexts?

-   What actions can be taken within our institutions to effectively ensure synergies and inter-action between humanitarian aid and development cooperation interventions?

If you are interested in attending the workshop, please see further information below:

email: aguasan24@skat.ch

or visit: http://www.skat.ch/