The first workshop associated with the Pacific Urban Forum, organised by the Water and Sanitation Program of the World Bank with UNICEF, UNHABITAT and the Asian Development Bank was held from 23-24 March 2015.

Representatives from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, from national and local governments, utilities, NGOs, professionals working in informal settlements, regional organizations and development partners discussed the current water and sanitation situation in Pacific urban settlements, based on a three month assessment and the way forward.

Key messages from the workshop included the need to an integrated water and sanitation approach for informal settlements that is embedded in an over-arching urban development approach and plans as well as the need for redoubling the political will to provide basic services which benefit the urban poor and in particular women and children. New, appropriate and low-cost technologies and innovative approaches to financing were discussed and the workshop participants committed to piloting and scaling these up.

The Pacific Urban Forum (23-27 March 2015) brings together Pacific Islands national government representatives and Habitat Agenda Partners under the theme of “Towards a New Pacific Urban Agenda: Harnessing Opportunities in a Post-2015 Environment”.

Photo: (c) Bernard Barth UN-Habitat