Co-chaired by HRH Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Chair, UNSGAB and Mr Saad Houry, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF, the HLM was convened by UNICEF and held at the World Bank in Washington DC, in April 2010.
The SWA 2010 HLM was the first of its kind. Finance and water sector ministers representing 18 developing countries met with representatives of 13 donors, seven UN agencies and civil society organizations.
Countries attending the 2010 High-Level Meeting underwent an extensive preparatory process leading up to the meeting. Inter-ministerial dialogue between Finance Ministries and Ministries responsible for water and sanitation, along with development partners led to the development of a concrete set of commitments from each Government.
Meeting participants called for more synergies and commitment, continued dialogue, better use of resources, capacity building, human resource development, increased water and sanitation sector planning, public-private partnerships, development of integrated approaches, and evidence-based decision-making.
HLM 2010 Commitments
The 2010 High-Level Meeting brought renewed political focus to water and sanitation. The participating developing countries made specific commitments intended to secure political prioritization for the sector, increase evidence-based decision-making, and strengthen national planning processes.
Monitoring the 2010 High-Level Commitments
Countries, donors and development banks participating in the 2010 High-Level Meeting each tabled a Statement of Commitments detailing the key political actions to be undertaken in the following two years. Measuring commitments tabled at the HLM is an essential component of the entire process and is critical to strengthening accountability in the sanitation and water sector. As such, developing country governments, donors and development banks agree to report annually on the progress made in implementing commitments.
