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About us

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

Towns and cities are growing today at unprecedented rates setting the social, political, cultural and environmental trends of the world, both good and bad.  In 1950, one-third of the world's people lived in cities. Just 50 years later, this rose to one-half and will continue to grow to two-thirds, or 6 billion people, by 2050. Cities are now home to half of humankind.

Cities are the hubs of much national production and consumption - economic and social processes that generate wealth and opportunity. But they also create disease, crime, pollution, poverty and social unrest. In many cities, especially in developing countries, slum dwellers number more than 50 per cent of the population and have little or no access to shelter, water, and sanitation, education or health services.  It is essential that policy­makers understand the power of the city as a catalyst for national development. Sustainable urbanisation is one of the most pressing challenges facing the global community in the 21st century.

UN-HABITAT's programmes are designed to help policy-makers and local communities get to grips with the human settlements and urban issues and find workable, lasting solutions.  The organization's mandate is outlined in the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, Habitat Agenda, Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, and Resolution 56/206.     UN-HABITAT's work is directly related to the United Nations Millennium Declaration, particularly the goals of member States to improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020, Target 11, Millennium Development Goal No. 7, and Target 10 which calls for the reduction by half of the number without sustainable access to safe drinking water.

UN-HABITAT's strategic vision is anchored in a four-pillar strategy aimed at attaining the goal of Cities without Slums. This strategy consists of advocacy of global norms, analysis of information, field-testing of solutions and financing. These fall under the four core functions assigned to the agency by world governments - monitoring and research, policy development, capacity building and financing for housing and urban development.

Programmes

MEK-WATSAN:

The Mekong Region Water and Sanitation Initiative (MEK-WATSAN) is collaborative efffort between UN-HABITAT and the governments of the Mekong region-Kingdom of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China (Yunnan province), the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Which was develope in concept similar to that of the Lake Victoria initiative. The whole philosophy of MEK- WATSAN is to support participanting governments attain thier water and anitation related MDGs agreed in 2000, to halve the proprotion of people without access to improved water supply and sanitation service by 2015.

MEK-WATSAN promotes:

• Pro-poor urban water governance;
• Urban water conservation and demand management;
• Integrated urban environmental sanitation; and
• Income generation for the urban poor through community-based water and sanitation service. Currently projects are on-going in Xieng Ngeun, Sayabouly, Phine, Phiang, Nong Bua-Nong Weng, Dansavanh and Vilabouly.

WAC :

Water for Asian Cities (WAC) programme is collaborative initiative between th United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Goverment of Asia. The WAC programme was officially launched at the Third World Water Forum (WWF) on 18 March 2003 and the memorandom of Understanding was signed between ADB and UN-HABITAT on the same day in Osaka, Japan. The first Asian Miniterial Forum was held in Osaka, Japan on 19 March 2003 and adoptted a Minisisterial Declaration on Water for Asian Cities.

WAC Programme in Lao PDR:

In pursuance of the national strategy, the government of Lao PDR expressed keen interest to participate in the Water for Asian Cities Programme, whose objecttives are in line with the Goverment of Lao PDR's commitment to achieve sustainable access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation systems as a part of its National Growth and poverty Eradication Strategy (NGPES).

HVWSHE: An initiative to create a New Water Ethic through value-based water education by importing information on Water, Sanitation and hygiene and also inspire and motivate learners to change their behaviour with a view to promote wise and sustainable use of Water and Sanitation.

Projects:

1) Community-Based Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Urban Cluster Villages in Paksan District, Bolikhamxay Province

Status: On-going

Duration: 36 months

Project Objective:

To provide sustainable water supply and sanitation facilities to the urban poor communities by establishing water supply system, sanitation infrastructure and capacity building of stakeholders. The following are the specific objectives of this cooperation agreement:

• Demonstrate a community based water supply system and pro-poor connection charges and tariff;
• Increase sanitation and water supply coverage for the poor by establishing financing mechanisms like micro financing and or revolving funds;
• Improve environmental  sanitation conditions through implementation of awareness raising programmes;
• Improve community awareness of environmental sanitation;
• Enhance capacity of district authority, NPSE-BOLIKHAMXAY, WATSAN users, and local masons;
• Establish a water quality monitoring system;
• Develop a water conservation demand management strategy; and
• Demonstrate pilot projects on waste and wastewater management.

Partner Agency: NPSE -Bolikhamxay

Projects:

1) Pilot Demonstration Project on Biogas Digesters

Status: On-going

Duration: 24 months

Project Objective:

To develop pilot demonstration biogas digesters in one of the 12 secondary towns in which UN-HABITAT is currently working. The biogas digesters will showcase a community-based biogas energy source and act as an impetus for other sustainable energy projects. The project will be important in linking environmental sanitation to renewable energy sources and allow communities to become aware of the possibilities of using waste as an energy source.

The project aims to install biogas digesters in a market place and in households in the selected town. A team from NAST, with UN-HABITAT support, will conduct a feasibility study of the 12 towns and with community consultation; appropriate households will be selected. 

Partner Agency: National Authority for Science and Technology(NAST).

2) Community Based Water Supply and Sanitation Initiatives for Urban Cluster Villages in New Phiang District

Status: On-going

Duration: 36 months

Project Objective:

To provide sustainable water supply services and improve environmental sanitation for the urban poor. Following are the specific objectives of this Agreement of Cooperation:

• Demonstrate a community based approach to improving access to water supply;
• Increase sanitation and water supply coverage for the poor by establishing financing mechanisms like micro financing and/or revolving funds;
• Improve environmental  sanitation conditions through implementation of awareness programmes and pilot demonstration projects;
• Create job opportunities for the  poor;
• Enhance capacity of district authority, NPSE, WATSAN users, and local masons; and
• Develop a water conservation demand management plan.

Partner Agency:NPSE-Sayabouly

2) Gender Mainstreaming of 12 Water Utilities Project

Status: On-going

Duration: 24 months

Project Objective:

• Ensure capacity building of utility staff on gender issues in relation to water and sanitation;
• Ensure the formation of gender action plans by the utilities and WASA;
• Establish gender-related databases of water utilities, WASA and learning institutions (NUOL) in Lao PDR; and
• Encourage NUOL to engender their WATSAN-related curriculum, and assist in the development of gender related course material for WATSAN courses.

Partner Agency: Gender Resource Information and Devolopment Centre (GRID)

3) Community based Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative Project in Phine district.

Status: On-going

Duration: 18 months

Project Objective:

• Demonstrate the effectiveness of community-based approach in acquiring to acquire safe water and adequate sanitation;
• Safe piped water using ground water provided to 5 villages (5,400 persons, 840 households) in Phine; 
• Pro-poor policy related to house connection, water tariff implemented;
• Revolving funds to enhance poor households’ affordability to pay safe water supply and to construct latrine established and implemented;
• Improved environmental conditions of the town, community awareness campaign on hygiene and sanitation and long term and progressive attitude change towards the value of water;
• Enhanced capacity of NPSE, SAVANNAKHET to achieve efficient service to the community and sustainable use of the facilities;
• Water conservation demand management measures pilot tested.    

Partner Agency: NPSE -Savannakhet

3) Development of Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Access to Water and Sanitation

Status: On-going

Duration: 24 months

Project Objective:

To demonstrate inovative approach to water and sanitation through promotion of assessment, reseach and experiment on different technologies and option for water supply and sanitation and build knowledge of the students on HVWSHE and WDM at the Polytechnic School.

• To raise awareness on innovative technologies for water supply and sanitation;
• To promote research, science and technology to find pratical and long-term solutions to the water and sanitation problems;
• To build knowledge on water and sanitation through development of HVWSHE and WDM as course of study at the schools; and
• To raise awareness on impartance of water, water conservation, water demand management and other water and sanitation related pratices through display of education and public information materials on water and sanitation.

Partner Agency: Department of Higher Education (HED).

4) Community-Based Water and Sanitationv Pilot Project in Sayabouly district.

Status: On-going

Duration: 12 months

Project Objective:

• Demonstrate the effectiveness of community-based approach in acquiring safe water and adequate sanitation.
• Provide safe piped water to 4 villages (4,100 persons, 759 households) of Sayabouly Town located on the left bank of the Houng River using existing water treatment plant.
• Implement pro-poor policy related to house connection, water tariff structure.
• Establish revolving funds to enhance poor households’ affordability to pay safe water supply and to construct latrine.
• Improve community awareness of environmental sanitation, long term and progressive attitude change towards the value of water.
• Enhance capacity of NPSE, SAYABOULY to achieve efficient service to the community and sustainable use of the facilities and the community in latrine sitting and construction.  

Partner Agency: Water Supply State-owner Enterprise of Sayabouly.

4) Project on Monitoring of MDG Targets 10 and 11 in 17 UN-HABITAT towns

Status: On-going

Duration: 36 months

Project Objective:


Develop an enabling environmental in which local dicisions and solution can be generated by creating partnerships between local service providers the community to ensure better provision of service.

Develop baseline database on water and evironmental sanitation indictors corvering around 310,000 poor people across 17 towns in Lao PDR and undertake an assessment of indictors after 1,2 and 3 years (as appropriate); in achieving this objective the project will also:

• Enhance the capacity of Water Utility Service officials on MDG monitoring for targets 10 and 11, as well as GIS mapping
• Enhance the capacities of the local commnity in monitoring;
• Monitor the effectiveness and effeciency of UN-HABITAT project in Lao PDR, and help identify gaps in sevice provision.

Partner Agency: National Statistic Center

5) Public Private Partnership

Status: On-going

Duration: 36 months

Project Objective:

To improve in a sustainable way the population’s health in semi-urban areas, through the enhancement of access to safe drinking water and sanitation, through public-private partnerships. Specifically the objectives of the project are to:

• Improve access to water supply and sanitation for 650 households living in the small town of Houay Khoun, through the setting up of a piped water system and a special fund dedicated to domestic hygiene and training;

• Support the construction of replicable water networks and sanitation systems through public-private partnerships, where the conditions are suitable and without omitting access to the services for the poorest households. The Lao Government will be able then to use these examples to initiate other contracts, either directly, or with the support of other donors;

• Propose funding, subsidy and credit mechanisms to support the private sector involved in piped water system construction and management;

• Reinforce the participation of local populations, through the creation of management and monitoring committees composed of community representatives; and

• Find appropriate technical solutions for big villages’ networks in Lao PDR. The project aims at developing technologies in the field of water supply, which are affordable for local private sector.

Partner Agency: GRET

5) Northern and Central Regions Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project

Status: On-going

Project Objective:

The specific objectives of the NCRWSSSP are to (i) improve the quality, reliability, and sustainability of water supply services in about 12 selected small towns in Northern and Central regions, and (ii) improve the environmental conditions in these small towns. These objectives will be achieved by: (i) constructing new optimally sized water supply systems using appropriate technologies, (ii) rehabilitating/improving selected urban facilities, (iii) enhancing public hygiene awareness and motivating public participation in the village improvement initiatives, (iv) strengthening the sector planning, managing, and regulating capacity’ and (v) promoting the private sector’s participation in water supply services.
The development objective is to improve the quality of life of small town residents in the Lao PDR, and enhance the small towns’ roles as market, services, and manufacturing centres supporting the rural hinterland.
These objectives aim to help the Lao PDR to achieve its goal to provide 24-hour per day access to safe drinking water for 80 percent of the urban population by the year 2020. This goal is within the framework of equitable and sustainable development and poverty reduction as outlined in the Government’s National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy (NGPES, 2004).

Partner Agency: Govermnet of Lao PDR

6) Development of a Water Conservation Demand Management Strategy.

Status: On-going

Duration: 18 months

Project Objective:

Water Conservation and improved Demand Management (WCDM) practices can effectively improve the water supply situation in urban areas while also reducing the need for large investments in infrastructure. Technical and managerial skills for implementing these strategies however need to be built up. Conventional training programmes including university level programmes do not specifically address this area. Training aspiring water supply engineers, attending university level courses, in these techniques and skills, including through pilot and demonstration projects, implemented by students as a part of their coursework will result in motivated and skilled water supply professionals who will be able to effectively implement these strategies. The objectives of this project are to:

• Develop a WCDM strategy for Xieng Ngeun, Sayabouly and Phine towns of Lao PDR;
• Develop WCDM as a course of study in the National University of Laos, including establishment of pilot projects by the students on WCDM in Xieng Ngeun, Sayabouly and Phine towns as part of their coursework;
• Establish HVWSHE as a unit of study under the University’s existing Environmental Ethics Module; and
• Establish a demonstration Rainwater Harvesting and Ecological sanitation project within the University campus.

Partner Agency: Centre for Environment and Development Studies (CEDS)

6) Project on Hyiene Promotion in Sekong and Champassack Provinces

Status: Signed

Duration: 24 months

Project Objective:

To strengthen the technical capacity of stakeholders to promote hygiene and sanitation activities, develop strategies to disseminate hygiene promotion materials in Sekong, and Champasack provinces through the concerted efforts of the stakeholders and carry out strong monitoring and follow up activities to facilitate promotional activities in the country.

Specific objectives:

• To improve environmental sanitation conditions through capacity building of communities and raising awareness on issues of hygiene promotion;
• To enhance capacity of local, district and provincial authorities dealing with hygiene promotion;
• To develop Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials on hygiene promotion for distribution;
• To streamline hygiene education into schools; and
• To carry out the pilot demonstration project to encourage community recognition of importance of safe hygienic practices.

Partner Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Planning

7) Cross-border Town and Sanitation Project in Vilabouly, Dansavanh and Kaysone Phomvihane Districts

Status: On-going

Duration: 36 months

Project Objective:

To improve the environmental sanitation conditions and provide sustainable sanitation facilities to the urban poor communities by establishing sanitation infrastructure and through capacity building of stakeholders. Following are the specific objectives of this cooperation of agreement:

• Demonstrate a community based sanitation initiative;
• Increase sanitation coverage for the poor by establishing financing mechanisms like micro financing and or revolving funds;
• Improve environmental  sanitation conditions through awareness programmes;
• Develop an environment sanitation master plan;
• Enhance capacity of district authority, Nam Papa, WATSAN users, and local masons;
• Demonstrate pilot projects on waste and wastewater management; and
• Demonstrate cross border town cooperation for capacity building of water authority, and provincial and district authority.

Partner Agency: NPSE-Savannakhet

7) The Establishment of a School and Community Waste Management Project in Luang Prabang Province

Status: On-going

Duration: 24 months

Project Objective:

To raise awareness and enhance capacities of relevant agencies/institutions/organisations to implement a sound environmental and social policy for the Province of Luang Prabang.

• To build the capacity within the staff of the Water Resources and Environment office in Luang Prabang (WREO-LP) and the teachers in the community on waste management issues and solutions, environmental activities, and project management;
• To raise awareness among youth and the community members about waste management issues and solutions; and
• To educate youth and community members on environmentally sustainable alternative income generating activities by using recycling banks as the model.

Partner Agency: Water Resources & Environment Office - Luang Prabang (WREO-LP)

8) Community-based Water Supply and Sanitation Pilot Project Luang Prabang

Status: Completed

Duration: 36 months

Project Objective:

• Demonstration of how a community can work with a water supply entity to acquire safe water and adequate sanitation that meet its needs.
• Demonstration of pro-poor connection charges and tariffs.
• Improved community awareness of environmental sanitation.
• Enhanced capacity of NPSE, LUANG PRABANG, and local artisans.

Partner Agency: Water Supply State-owner of Luangprabang Province.

8) Arsenic Mapping and Mitigation through Awareness Raising and Capacity Building

Status: On-going

Duration: 24 months

Project Objective:

To support the Department of Housing and Urban Planning in further developing testing and recording capacities of the levels of arsenic in groundwater in 20 urban villages of 2 provinces of Lao PDR-Champassack and Attapeu. The project also aims to increase community awareness and develop mitigtion strategies.

Following are some specific objectives of the programme:

• To carry out training workshops for Nam Papa technicians to increase testing and recording of arsenic;
• To further develop testing and mapping techniques;
• To explore alternative water sources and develop and use options to treat contaminated water;
• To develop IEC to raise awareness in the community on the issues of arsenic contamination; and
• To effectively evaluate project activities and present findings to public.

Partner Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Planning, Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

9) Gender Mainstreaming.

Status: On-going

Duration: 12 months

Project Objective:

To develop Gender  Mainstreaming Strategy and conduct Rapid Gender Assessment of Xieng Ngeun, Sayabouly and Phine towns.

Partner Agency: Gender Resourrce Information and Development Center(GRID)

9) Project on Human Values-based Approach to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education for Schools in Lao PDR

Status: On-going

Duration: 24 months

Project Objective:

• Enhance better understanding of HVWSHE in Laos
• Develop training guidebooks of HVWSHE
• Provide platform for exchanging domestic and international experience on HVWSHE
• Enhance the capacity of teachers to conduct HVWSHE
• Demonstrate HVWSHE to other schools through the pilot schools both in education approaches and water classroom

Partner Agency: Nowegian Church Aid (NCA)

• Emergency Water and Sanitation Assistance to Community Affected by Flooding in Five Provinces in Lao PDR
  
  
  Status: On-going
  
  
  Project Objective:
  
  Ensure the urgent and immediate rehabilitation and restoration of WATSAN infrastructure in affected school, medical facility and communities, and to ensure the resumption of safe water supply to affective people, especially women and children; and
  
  Carry out hygiene and sanitation awareness campaigns in the communities to prevent the outbreak of water borne diseases amongst the affected people.
  
  Target beneficiaries are approximately 70,000 people.

Partner Agency: DHUP, Ministry of Public Work and Transport

Publications

MEK-WATSAN

Contact us

• Avi Sarkar
  Chief Technical Advisor
  South East Asia Region
  
  Water for Asian Cities (WAC)
  Mekong Region Water and Sanitation Initiative (MEK-WATSAN)
  Focal point Asia
  Human Values based Water Sanitation Hygiene Education
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  Water Sanitation Section II (Asia and Latin America)
  Water Sanitation Infrastructure Branch (WSIB)
  United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT)
  3rd Floor, UN House, Lane Xang Avenue, P.O. Box 345, Vientiane Lao PDR
  Tel: +856.21.267707; Fax:+856.21.264939; Mobile: +856.20.5555654
  Email: avi.sarkar@unhabitat.org; Alternate: avi.sarkar@laopdr.com
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• Buahom Sengkhamyong
  Chief Technical Advisor Lao PDR
  
  Water for Asian Cities (WAC)
  Mekong Region Water and Sanitation Initiative (MEK-WATSAN)
  
  United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT)
  3rd Floor, UN House, Lane Xang Avenue, P.O. Box 345, Vientiane Lao PDR
  Tel: +856.21.267714; Fax:+856.21.264939; Mobile: +856.20.2226005
  Email: bsengkhamyong@yahoo.com

About us /Programmes/Publication/Contact us