GWOPA Steering Committee Meeting

WaterLinks team comprising Mai Flor, Yolanda Gomez, Patricia Policar, and Arjun Thapan visited Bonn, Germany, from 26-29 October to participate in the 6th Global WOPs Congress organized by GWOPA. Mai and Arjun first attended GWOPA’s steering committee meeting on 26 October.

There was discussion on the focus areas of the next iteration of GWOPA’s strategic plan 2026-2029. Finance remains the most difficult issue. In light of the deteriorating aid climate, it is becoming increasingly difficult to raise resources to finance WOPs. Clearly, UN-Habitat, that houses GWOPA, has a major role to play in raising resources.

WaterLinks and other members offered to assist in this, especially with regional IFIs, e.g., Asian Development Bank, which typically finance a large part of global WASH investments, where WOPs can be useful initiators to build required capacities for successful implementation outcomes.

GWOPA also encouraged members to participate in the World Urban Forum in Baku in May 2026 and in the Water Conference UAE, later in the year. GWOPA is working towards getting water and sanitation included as a subject matter for discussion at WUF.