Solidarity mechanisms
Within the legislative framework of the French Thiollière Act (2007) and the Oudin Santini Act (2005), the members of the French Water Partnership have undertaken decentralized cooperation actions with their partners in developing countries. More broadly, they are working to develop mechanisms for decentralized solidarity on an international scale, from territory to territory, from local authority to local authority, in association with their European and international partners.
Objectives
The members of the French Water Partnership promote cooperation between local authorities as an innovative tool for:
- Strengthening cooperation between territories and the exchange of expertise (North-South, South-South, North-North);
- Decentralized cooperation enables local authorities in the North to provide financial support to local authorities in the South, and to develop exchanges between North and South professionals, helping to strengthen and improve the management of water and sanitation services. This type of cooperation can also be extended to local authorities in the South, helping to create a strong and lasting diplomatic relationship between territories;
- Capacity-building for local authorities in water management through effective decentralization of water and sanitation services. Decentralized cooperation seeks to strengthen the role of local authorities in promoting local, participatory and sustainable management of services;
- Ensuring access to drinking water and sanitation for all, supported by innovative financing mechanisms: the Oudin-Santini Act authorizes French local authorities to allocate up to 1% of revenues from their water and sanitation services to international solidarity actions in support of this sector. A local authority can work with other financial partners, in particular the French Water Agencies, to increase and diversify its grant funding.