USAID joins Sanitation and Water for All Partnership - great news

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2012
Public Information: 202-712-4810

www.usaid.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah announced that the U.S. Agency for International Development has joined the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) Partnership. The SWA Partnership brings together governments, donors, civil society organizations, and development partners to achieve sustainable sanitation and drinking water.

USAID and the U.S. Department of State are committing a total of $1 million to the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program. The investment will support the SWA-led National Planning for Results Initiative, which promotes national planning efforts related to sanitation and water. The economic gains from investing in sanitation and water are estimated at $170 billion per year.

"The United States Government considers sanitation and water and our related partnering activities to be a critical component of our overall international development assistance effort," Administrator Shah said during remarks at the SWA High Level Meeting. "We look forward to maximizing the potential of this partnership, which brings together such a range of tools, experience, and approaches. Working together, we can not only reach full coverage, but we can also do it in the most effective, efficient, and collaborative way."

Established in 2010, SWA's biennial High Level Meeting brings together Ministers of Finance from developing countries, Ministers of Development Cooperation from donor countries, and high-level representatives from development banks and other donor institutions.

Last month, the United Nations announced that the Millennium Development Goal for a 50 percent reduction in the number of people living without access to safe drinking water had been achieved in 2010 - five years ahead of schedule. Even with that target met, more than 780 million people, particularly those in fragile states and poor communities, still live without access to safe water.

Progress in sanitation has been slower. Today, 2.5 billion people still lack access to improved sanitation and it is unlikely that the Millennium Development Goal target for sanitation will be met by 2015.

Chris Holmes Designated as USAID's Global Water Coordinator

Great news out of Washington DC / USAID recently. The appointment of Chris Holmes is a big step forward for the implementation of the Water for the Poor Act.
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The Office of the Administrator is very pleased to announce that Administrator Shah has designated Christian olmes to serve as the USAID Global Water Coordinator.

This is the first time that USAID has established such a leadership position. The Coordinator is the senior representative within USAID responsible for coordinating the implementation of key water policy initiatives, including USAID's water strategy, as well as related areas in the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development, Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, USAID Forward and the integration of the USAID water programs and policies with new agency initiatives that are critically dependent on water (i.e. Feed the Future initiative, Global Health, and Global Climate Change). The Coordinator will also serve as the primary spokesman and liaison with public and private organizations, including congressional leaders, to coordinate water efforts. The Coordinator will coordinate USAID efforts to implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act.

The incumbent is also responsible for providing technical and intellectual advice and guidance to Agency senior leadership on water policy, budget, and strategy. The Coordinator will work closely with the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT), as well as the Bureau for Policy, Program and Learning (PPL) and other Agency units, in carrying out these responsibilities.

Christian Holmes comes with a depth and breadth of experience to enable him to coordinate USAID's global water efforts. Since joining USAID in January of 2010 as the Senior Advisor for Energy and Environment, he has been a key lead in USAID and interagency discussions on water as well as providing support to USAID Missions. Holmes has also served as Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Refugee Programs, and Acting Director of the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. As a USAID Senior Foreign Service Officer with rank of Minister Counselor, he twice received the Presidential Meritorious Service Award. At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), he was confirmed by the Senate as both Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Administrator for Administration and Resource Management and also served as EPA's Deputy for Federal Facilities Enforcement and Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response. Holmes served in the U.S. Army, Second Lieutenant, Civil Affairs, receiving the U.S. Army Soldier's Medal for Heroism.

Global Waters - USAID Newsletter

Water friends, please see below for details about a new water newsletter published by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

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Dear Water and Development Colleagues –

Global demand for freshwater is doubling every 20 years, yet water is becoming increasingly scarce in a number of countries, including many in the developing world. As you all know well, water is central to the success of our sustainable development efforts. Whether for domestic use, agriculture, industry, energy, or the environment, the availability of adequate supplies of good quality freshwater underpins the hopes and expectations of billions of people for improved well-being and affluence.

In his inaugural address, President Obama pledged to help the developing world address its water challenges. And last March, Secretary Clinton challenged USAID and the State Department to elevate our freshwater access efforts and to ensure that we look at these challenges in an integrated manner. Climate change, food security and global health issues are three of our top priorities, and water is integrally linked to each challenge. In order to maximize the impact from our development investments we must enhance integrated programming, utilize smart science and innovation, build strategic partnerships, and learn from experience.

As one step on this path, I am pleased to announce the launch of Global Waters – the first newsletter dedicated to the broad portfolio of water-related activities of the United States Agency for International Development. Through this new bi-monthly newsletter, we wish to share with you the many challenges and opportunities, and the approaches and lessons learned that reflect upon USAID programming in the water arena. Each issue will highlight the work of our many implementing partners, as well as some of the more intimate stories of how the Agency’s work directly affects individuals, families, and communities around the globe.

If you wish to receive Global Waters on a regular basis, I encourage you to subscribe today, and to share this with your colleagues and partners who may find this of interest. You can do so by clicking on the following link, where you will find the full newsletter and subscription details.

http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/water/globalwaters/

I hope you will take time to peruse Global Waters and continue to help us build public support and understanding for these critical development challenges.

Dr Rajiv Shah

USAID Administrator