Former President John Agyekum Kufuor to chair the Sanitation and Water for All partnership

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor to chair the Sanitation and Water for All partnership

His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, former President of Ghana (2001-2009) and former Chairperson of the African Union (2007–2008), will be the first high-level Chair of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership. Kufuor is a passionate global advocate for leadership, governance and development. He is widely regarded for his African and international statesmanship, and his contributions have been recognized through awards such as the 2011 World Food Prize.

In accepting the position, former President Kufuor said: “The dream of sanitation and water for every person is within reach, but it will take a great deal of political will, adequate resources, and coordinated efforts. I am committed to making this happen, because I am not content to live in a world where 2.6 billion people lack access to a decent toilet and 900 million people do not have clean water to drink.”

Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) is an alliance of governments, donors, civil society organizations, development partners and water and sanitation agencies. It is working to increase funding, improve the efficiency of resource use and strengthen the evidence base for the water supply and sanitation sector. The partnership convenes a biennial High Level Meeting to raise political awareness, supports countries in their efforts to develop action-oriented plans and works with UN-WATER and WHO to produce the Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water, (GLAAS) report.

Kufuor will chair the next SWA High Level Meeting at the World Bank in Washington, DC, on 20 April 2012. The meeting will bring together Finance Ministers and Water Ministers from developing countries, along with their counterparts from donor countries and sector experts. It will focus on the significant economic gains that can be made from investing in sanitation and water and the costs of failing to invest.

“Former President Kufuor has long been a campaigner for better access to water and sanitation.” said Darren Saywell, SWA Vice-Chair and WASH/CLTS Director at Plan International USA. “His leadership will help bring greater political attention to this neglected development issue”.

Additional information on Sanitation and Water for All, including partners, activities and governance can be found at: www.sanitationandwaterforall.org