The EU Water Initiative (EUWI) is a policy initiative launched in 2003. It is designed as a joint EU contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for drinking water and sanitation, within the context of an integrated approach to water resources management. It has five objectives:
- Reinforce political commitment to action
- Promote better water governance arrangements
- Improve coordination and cooperation
- Encourage regional and subregional cooperation on water management issues, using the IWRM approach on a basin scale
- Catalyse additional funding
The EUWI seeks to mobilise the financial and human resources within EU in support of the efforts of partner countries to achieve the water-related MDGs. The EUWI has four regional (Africa, Eastern Europe/Caucasus/Central Asia- EECCA, the Mediterranean, Latin America) and three thematic components (financing, research, monitoring). The work programmes of the components include the development of national policy dialogues and regional activities such as transboundary water resources management programmes.
DHI has been contracted by the European Commission to establish a monitoring and reporting system for the initiative and to prepare its first assessment report. We are currently working (together with IPALMO, Italy) to establish a system of policy indicators that measure performance, effectiveness and impact of the activities carried out under the EUWI. The results of the first round of monitoring will be presented at the World Water Week in Stockholm in August 2006.