The Acting Director General (DG) of the Ministry for Water Resources, Erickson Sammy, and the New Zealand High Commissioner to Vanuatu, Nicola Simmonds, signed the WASH Sector Partnership Phase II this week.
Under phase II, the NZ Government will provide just above VT1 billion to further implement activities to meet the National Implementation Plan (NIP) for Safe and Secure Community Drinking Water.
Phase II builds on Vanuatu’s progress towards the Millennium Development Goal 7 of improving access to improved sources of water and the Sustainable Development Goal 6: ensuring water and sanitation for all by 2030.
The NZ Government has been a major development partner for the water sector since before the WASH Sector Partnership. A lot of the rural water supply systems are funded by the NZ Government.
The Department of Water Resources and the NZ Government were partners in the Water and Sanitation Sector Strengthening Program from 2014 to 2017. In 2015, more than 90% of the population of Vanuatu gained access to improved water sources, according to Acting DG Sammy.
“Over 100 upgraded and new water systems were constructed during the Phase I of the WASH Sector Partnership. We work with communities to assess risks and plan implementation using the Community Drinking Water Safety and Security Plan,” he said.
Under the National Implementation Plan (NIP) for Safe and Secure Community Drinking Water, the Department of Water Resources (DoWR) will carry out activities based on provincial priorities through requests from communities. Activities will be conducted in only rural communities, excluding Port Vila, Luganville, Lakatoro and Isangel.
Photo Caption: Acting DG Sammy and NZ High Commissioner to Vanuatu Simmonds signing the partnership
