Specifically, it aims to improve the knowledge of water and sanitation sector actors on the concept of integrity, the risks of integrity violations in the sector, to engage politicians and other decision-makers in the dynamics of promoting integrity in the water and sanitation sector and to initiate the process of organizing a West African subregional forum on integrity in the water sector.
More than one hundred (100) participants from various national and international backgrounds took part in the three-day workshop, whose proceedings were marked by an inaugural conference on integrity in the water sector as a condition for achieving the SDG 6 in Benin and four (4) parallel panels on different themes, the launch of the report on mapping integrity risks in the water and sanitation sector in Benin. A study carried out in 2017 by CWP-Benin with the support of its WIN partners and SNV with funding from the OmiDelta programme). The 4th highlight was an exhibition fair, which was an opportunity for the sector's stakeholders to present the achievements of their activities in the field of water integrity.
At the end of the three days of discussions, the hundred or so participants, state and non-state actors, donors, from the countries of the sub-region and Benin, formulated recommendations in some thirty points to promote good governance and integrity in the water and sanitation sector.
Among other recommendations, the participants requested the involvement of resource persons in advocacy/lobbying with the authorities for the formalization of the charter for good governance in the water and sanitation sector; the establishment at the regional level of a framework for sharing good practices in the urban drinking water supply sector. They also recommended reporting to sectoral stakeholders on the recommendations of the FoNIEAu, organizing a National Sanitation Conference in 2020 and ensuring better follow-up of subscribers' complaints.
At the end of the work, the Chair of the CWP invited the Monitoring Committee to get down to work so that in two years' time the evaluation could be carried out. The CWP, Social Watch and ALCRER Consortium is committed to continuing advocacy and monitoring," said Prof. Euloge AGBOSSOU.
"I am sure that the work of these three days will help us to have a more efficient water sector serving all of Benin," said the West Africa Coordinator of the Water Integrity Network (WIN), one of the forum's partners.
The prefect of the Couffo department present at all the works undertook, on behalf of his peers, to ensure "that the communes put themselves in a position to embrace integrity".
The Integrity Forum is part of the Governance component of the OmiDelta programme funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands through SNV. It is a two-year programme to be evaluated in the long term to assess the results. The SNV representative reassured the participants that SNV would provide technical and financial support during the process.
The Ministry is committed to playing its part in implementing the recommendations, reassured the Director of Cabinet of the Minister in charge of water. "The department will be able to use the findings of this forum to improve its integrity system", he concluded.