Money makes the world go round, and good ideas and plans need funding for implementation. There is a prominent need for reliable and accountable water institutions and for users to pay directly or indirectly for their water use. However, due to low trust in the government and institutions, and the little means available to enforce payments, institutions deal with a lack of funds to address development and maintenance issues.

Making smart use of the finances available is an important aspect of making development sustainable. How can the money best be used, and can funds from the national and international private sector be used to develop public utilities?

There are organisations and platforms where best practices and ideas can be shared and information can be gained. Please find a few below. Do you know platforms or knowledge hubs you would like to share with us? Please contact us via r.terhorst@viawater.nl

Platforms to gain or share ideas on viable financial arrangements and partnerships
 

• http://www.gwp.org/en/ToolBox/CROSS-CUTTING-ISSUES1/Financing/
  • Until recently it was rare for water management planning to consider finance. Water advocacy and plans were often aspirational, neglecting to show where the money would come from, how activities would be financed or who would pay for them. This situation is changing, finance is now an essential topic in water management circles
• http://www.sswm.info/category/planning-process-tools/implementation#Financing
  • Implementation Support Tools for financing, project design and execution.
• http://www.traidwheel.nl/home
  • TRAIDwheel is a learning environment for aid and trade professionals. TRAID is the compound of aid and trade, and ‘wheel’ is movement, referring to the dynamic interplay between aid and trade. We offer you positioning surveys and cases about two areas that are vital for realizing aid and trade partnerships in the water sector: local networks and appropriate finance.