Rural water supply in the 21st century : myths of the past, visions for the future : 6th International Rural Water Supply Network Forum 2011 Uganda

The 2011 6th Rural Water Supply Network Forum in Kampala set out a vision for the future. It provided the opportunity for 480 participants from 54 countries to share their experiences and chart key next steps along the path for rural water supplies. This includes actions determined at the Forum and the Kampala Rural Water Supply Commitments with ten statements. These summarise a commitment to accelerating progress in inclusive and sustainable rural water supplies wherever those services are absent or under-performing. As well as being opened and closed by Hon. Maria Mutagamba, Minister of Water and Environment, we were kindly joined by a sizeable delegation from the Government of South Sudan and the Hon. Ato Kebede Gerba, Minister for Water and Energy for Ethiopia. The big discussion point of the week was „sustainability‟ – how can rural water services be implemented that last for many years, not just one or two. All aspects were scrutinised and case studies discussed, looking at aspects of governance, technology, financial management, empowerment and capacity building. Self supply, equity and inclusion and groundwater were also popular topics and have given momentum to the new and existing RWSN themes. [authors abstract]