This session explores the evolving role of Operator Partnerships as an effective, cost-efficient instrument within international development cooperation. Coordinated by the German Utility Platform (www.utility-platform.de), the session showcases how Operator Partnerships are moving beyond stand-alone interventions to become complementary tools of German technical and financial development programmes. Drawing on utility expert presentations and insights from the German Utility Platform, the session will highlight how Operator Partnerships foster local capacity building and contribute to the continuity and resilience of development efforts by ensuring that knowledge, practices, and improvements endure beyond individual project cycles.

The session will begin with an introduction to the German Utility Platform, presenting its structure, financing model, and role in supporting Operator Partnerships. The input will focus on how Operator Partnerships operate, the added value they bring to development cooperation, and how the Platform not only supports stand-alone partnerships but increasingly encourages them as complementary tool within development programmes.

Following this, water peers from diverse regions will share practical experiences from their own Operator Partnerships. Their presentations will highlight how Operator Partnerships strengthen utility operations, improve service outcomes, and foster resilient partnerships. Emphasis will be placed on capacity development, partnership health, and effective and sustainable results that demonstrate the added value of peer-based cooperation, enhancing the outcomes of technical development and financial cooperation projects.

To build on these insights, the session will conclude with a strategic discussion featuring development partners, including the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), UWCI, operator partnership practicioners and GIZ Zambia. Panellists will explore how Operator Partnerships can complement, enhance and sustain technical and financial cooperation and identify practical strategies to maximize their long-term impact. Recognizing the potential of Operator Partnerships to support more integrated and locally anchored development approaches, the discussion will focus on how these partnerships can be embedded into long-term strategies.