Local water and sanitation services providers are key actors in achieving the SDG.
GWOPA, facilitated by UN-Habitat, supports water and sanitation service in achieving SDG 6. Through Water and Sanitation Operators’ Partnerships, known as WOPs and SWOPs, the GWOPA network strengthens the capacities of water and sanitation operators through not-for-profit peer-to-peer exchanges. GWOPA was established in 2009 and is hosted in Bonn, Germany, leading global efforts to promote WOPs outlined in the GWOPA Strategy 2020–2024.
From public utilities that supply water and sewerage services to millions of customers in capital cities, to small units in local governments of small towns and community-based operators in rural areas or slums, water operators provide fundamental services that enable progress in virtually all aspects of sustainable development. Water and sanitation service providers, connected through GWOPA’s solidarity-based network, share and develop members' capacity to improve water and sanitation services for all and achieve local and global goals.
Our Strategy
The GWOPA 2020-2024 strategy draws from the inputs from GWOPA’s wide network of member organizations, evaluations of its previous strategy, and over ten years of experience. It situates WOPs as an approach for localizing the SDGs, and positions GWOPA’s Secretariat as the global convener, catalyzer, advocate and knowledge broker for WOPs within its growing global alliance. GWOPA will implement the strategy in collaboration with its partners and with the strong support of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ)
GWOPA’s Strategy 2020-2024 situates Water Operators’ Partnerships as key to localizing the SDGs and ensuring universal access to water and sanitation.
GWOPA’S Guiding Principles
The Global WOPs Alliance and the WOPs it supports are oriented by several Guiding Principles. The principles were articulated during GWOPA’s Foundation Meeting in 2009 and subsequently adopted in the GWOPA Charter. The charter was updated in 2020 and is pending final approval by the GWOPA Assembly (May 2023).
Members of GWOPA are expected to respect these principles in their WOP activities.
GWOPA Charter
The GWOPA Charter promotes solidarity among water operators, encouraging stronger and better-resourced utilities to support those facing challenges. It emphasizes the importance of public utilities in delivering sustainable and equitable water services and building their capacity through partnerships. The charter fosters knowledge sharing, enabling the exchange of technical expertise and innovative solutions to address issues such as access to water, sanitation, and climate change adaptation. It advocates for inclusivity and local ownership, ensuring that local stakeholders and communities are actively involved, and emphasizes that these partnerships should be non-commercial, driven by a mutual commitment to improving water services.
Read the GWOPA Charter
