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SPEECH BY PROF. JUDI WAKHUNGU, CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES DURING THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE 3RD INTERNATIONAL WATER ASSOCIATION (IWA) CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION HELD AT KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE (KICC) ON 14TH OCTOBER, 2013.

Glen Daigger, President, International Water Association (IWA) Ger Bergkamp, Executive Director, IWA Duduzile Myeni, President, Africa Water Association (AfWA) Sylvain Usher, General-Secretary, AfWA Nyundo Katemboh, President, Water Services Providers Association (WASPA), Kenya

Rachid Bencherif, Head of Grants, The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) Neil Macleod, Head of Water and Sanitation, eThekwini Municipality, South Africa Dinesh Mehta, CEPT University, India Representatives of Various International Governments Development Partners Utility Managers,

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted this evening to join you all in the official opening of the 3rd IWA Development Congress and Exhibition 2013. May I begin by welcoming everyone to Nairobi. I take this opportunity, on behalf of the Government and people of Kenya, to thank the International Water Association (IWA) for allowing us to host such an important event. Please find time to visit our scenic heritage sites and sample the warm hospitality of our people. We are assembled here for a four-day session of intense deliberations to derive solutions to the challenges in water and sanitation. I want to appreciate the role of the conveners of

this event that has brought together more than 600 delegates from around the world. Water is central to human needs, equitable growth and development. It is one of the key drivers of sustainable economic growth through contribution to activities such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining, energy and transport. It contributes to social activities such as productive use of water within households (poverty alleviation), water for drinking, sanitation and health. It should, therefore, be managed in a manner that is sensitive to and supportive of the many competing demands that are placed on it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Further, the management activities should not compromise the requirements of the future, as well as ecological requirements. Based on these elements, water should be central to the integrated planning and development processes. We note that we have two years before 2015 to reflect on whether we have met the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) targets for Water and Sanitation. Whereas some countries have made significant strides and surpassed the original targets, some still lag behind, especially with regard to sanitation. Most of the countries that are not on track to meet the MDG targets for water

and sanitation are in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The MDG sanitation and water supply targets are to reduce by half the

proportion of people without access to improved sanitation and improved water supplies, taking 1990 as the base year. The only
meaningful target is universal coverage - that is - Adequate

Sanitation and Water Supplies for All. We have to ensure quality,

portable and affordable water, as well as dignity in sanitation. For instance, inequalities still exist between countries; urban and rural areas; slums and formal urban settlements; men and women; disadvantaged groups and the general population. In many countries, women and girls carry the burden of fetching water.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Poor water and sanitation conditions also affect their health negatively, including sexual and reproductive health. The MDGs focus on aggregate outcomes tends to mask these inequalities and improvements in access do not often reach those groups who suffer most, including the elderly, persons with disabilities, women and children. Water for irrigation and food production constitutes one of the greatest pressures on freshwater resources. In many countries, water availability for agriculture is already limited and uncertain, and is set to worsen. Agricultural water withdrawal accounts for

44% of total water withdrawal in OECD countries, 74% in the BRICs and over 90% in the least developed countries. With global population growth projections of 23 billion people over the next 40 years, food demand is predicted to increase by 60% by 2050. The Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates an 11% increase in irrigation water consumption from 2008 to 2050. Although this seems a modest increase, much of it will occur in regions already suffering from water scarcity.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, The sessions that have been organized in the thematic areas should inform on how to Catalyse Urban Transitions (which is the theme of this years Congress), bearing in mind that some key challenges in the low-income countries still remain. These include: 1. Everyone has water, sanitation and hygiene at home; 2. All schools and health centres have water, sanitation and hygiene; 3. No one practices open defecation;

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4. Water, sanitation and hygiene should be equitable and sustainable. The reduction of these and related inequalities is proposed to be a fundamental indicator of progress. The United Nations once noted that the availability of water is a concern for some countries, but more so that its scarcity at the heart of global water crisis is rooted in power, poverty and inequality, and not in physical availability. These are challenges closely related to poor governance practices, poor skills and corruption. Besides, the growing commoditization of water by large Multinationals is also raising fears that the poor are increasingly being left out - though

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there may be many people in terms of market access, many people are too poor to afford it. Ladies and Gentlemen, The market-based paradigm for such a vital resource has come under question. The variance between the goals of a responsible government (universal access) and those of a private company (profit, typically by providing access to those who can pay), implies that private sector efficiency for profit may not mean that same efficiency will lead to universal access. However, there are cases where markets have provided innovative ideas and efficiency in management.

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In Kenya for instance, responsive commercialization of services by urban water service providers has proved that it is possible to achieve cost recovery and sustainability of the systems by appropriating a necessary water tariff regime with stringent government regulation. It is also noteworthy that the water sector has many of the characteristics of a natural monopoly. In the absence of a strong regulatory capacity to protect the public interest through the rules on pricing and investment, there are dangers of monopolistic abuse. Besides, in countries with high levels of poverty among un-served populations, public finance is a

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requirement for extended access, regardless of whether the provider is public or private. Ladies and Gentlemen, As you continue with this search for what works, I wish you a productive and fruitful week. Forums like these should seek to share internationally acceptable best practices, motivate behaviour change and awaken innovative ways to alleviate these problems. It is now my honour to declare this Conference officially open. THANK YOU.