International recognition of the role of solidarity financing mechanisms

Solidarity financing mechanisms have a recognised role to play in international debates on the resources to be mobilised to finance access to water and sanitation for all.

The report of the panel on financing infrastructure chaired by Mr. Camedessus, mentions the practice of twinning as a means of building service management capacities at local authority level (Camdessus Panel Report).

The report from the Task Force on Financing Water for All chaired by Mr. Angel Gurría (Gurría Task Force Report) underlines the importance of channelling funding to a local level and notes the role of solidarity in the approaches to be promoted.

Solidarity financing mechanisms respond clearly to several of the concerns raised in this report, in particular enhancing financial flows to local authorities, complementing public budgets and developing capacities (The Importance of Solidarity and Decentralised Forms of Funding for Water and Sanitation).

In terms of alternative funding mechanisms, the IRC studied possible sources of European funding (IRC: Study on European sources of funding June 2005), and European local authorities themselves call for the responsibility of such fundamentally local services to lie squarely at local level (Declaration of European Local and Regional Authorties) along with the appropriate resources for effective and sustainable service management.