Freshwater Action Network (FAN)The key to strengthening the role of civil society

FAN GLOBALANNUAL REVIEW 2008 | 2010

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CARTOONS : Bill Crooks

A network of change-makers

A link between local and global

A platform for dialogue and influence

A forum for sharing learning and experiences

FAN storyAbout us

Freshwater Action Network (FAN) is a major network of Civil Society Organizations (CSO) implementing and influencing water and sanitation policy and practice. Our members, from around the world, are respected for their unique skill, experience and perspective. Our strategy is shaped by a consortium of CSO networks in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Our vision

A world where water is a respected, protected and cherished resource, for all forms of life, and universal access to water and sanitation is achieved responsibly, equitably and inclusively.

Our mission

To improve water governance by strengthening civil society’s role in decision making, with the ultimate aim of making the rights to water and sanitation for all a reality for present and future generations.

Guiding principles

FAN:

• is a non-profit making organization

• members respect each other’s unique skills, experience, perspective and contribution

• strives for gender equality in its activities

• encourages its members to take ownership of the network in a spirit of cooperation and sharing

• upholds the principles of non-hierarchical and democratic networking

• is facilitative and innovative and is open to change and learning

• promotes voices of marginalized and excluded communities in policies and programs

• believes sustainable water resource management and water supply are integrally linked.

Welcome to Freshwater Action Network’s Annual Review for April 2008 – March 2010 where we report on our activities and achievements over the last two financial years.

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Foreward

Welcome to our Annual Review 2008 to 2010.

It is a pleasure to review the collective efforts of everyone involved in FAN and to realise just how far we have come over the last two years. We have built FAN into a true network of networks crossing continents and communities. FAN is now a global consortium made up of active regional networks in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We work together and independently and we have a growing reputation as a strong and credible voice for civil society, influencing policy at the local, regional and international level.

We continue to campaign for safe, affordable access to water and adequate sanitation to be basic human rights for all at every level: from liaising with the UN Independent Expert on sanitation and sharing knowledge from and to civil societies all over the world, to ensuring CSO are represented at UN climate change negotiations and running advocacy workshops with local communities.

We’ve made sure the diverse voices of our members are heard by taking part in global advocacy action. This includes the World’s Longest Toilet Queue, which demanded action at the first meeting on Sanitation and Water in Washington DC in April 2010 and the Sanitation and Water for All campaign, which calls on national governments to increase budget allocations for basic water and sanitation services.

Becoming independent

At the beginning of 2010, our Governing Council (our board) voted for FAN to go through a phased transition to become a legally independent organization over a three to five year period. WaterAid, FAN’s current legal

and institutional host, then suggested that we fast-track the journey towards independence to two years.

That means we should be an independent organization in time for our tenth anniversary. Many of you will know that the FAN network officially launched at the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.

We will continue to support and strengthen the skills, systems and structures of the regional networks and look forward to strong regional leadership of FAN Global over the years ahead.

Meeting our objectives

FAN has a new Global Strategy (2010-2015), developed in consultation with all our members. This review is divided into five sections, each showing how we are meeting our new strategic objectives. They will help us to focus us to ensure the FAN network has the capacity and skills to accomplish all our national, regional and international aims.

I am extremely proud of the impact that we have made on the water sector. I feel hopeful that, with support from partners old and new and input from our members across the world, the network will continue to thrive. We will then see a strong global network of CSOs working towards a better managed and more inclusive water and sanitation environment for present and future generations.

Danielle MorleyExecutive Secretary, FAN

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In September 2008, FAN made the transition from a loose network of members centred on a global secretariat and governed by an advisory board, into a more formally organized global consortium of regional Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) networks from Africa, South Asia and Latin America. These networks have developed independently under the umbrella FAN Global. The consortium is governed by Articles of Association and a Governing Council which is made up of nine members from southern networks and two international development charities, WaterAid and Both ENDs.

FAN

FAN South AsiaFANSA

FAN MexicoFAN-Mex

Freshwater Action Network (FAN)A Global Consortium

African Civil Society Networkon Water and Sanitation

ANEWFAN Central America

FANCA

FAN Americadel Sur/do Sul

FANAS

Our Global Strategy 2010 – 2015

At the first FAN Governing Council meeting in September 2008, members agreed we needed a plan for the future.

UK-based not-for-profit Building Partnerships in Development for Water and Sanitation helped us to develop a Global Strategy and it was approved at the second Governing Council meeting in January 2010.

The new strategy is based on discussion and consultation with over 800 network members through online surveys as well as discussions held by the regional networks with their members. It:

• Affirms our vision, mission and principles• Clarifies our structure and approach• Defines our areas of work as:

• Realisation of the rights to water and sanitation for all people

• Improving water governance• Water management and climate change • Trans-boundary waters

Governing a strong and sustainable network with a reputation for effectiveness and efficiency

The strategy will focus the advocacy work and guide FAN’s organizational development over the next five years as we move towards independence.

Learn moreTo view our Global Strategy, please visit: www.freshwateraction.net/strategy

The Secretariat

The FAN Secretariat team works closely with the regional networks to support their organizational development needs. The FAN team provides a range of support – from training on grant management, governance and communications to financial support and evaluation. It remains a small and committed team of two full time and five part time staff based at WaterAid in UK.

Funding

The FAN Secretariat manages three significant funded programs, working with our partners.

FAN Strategic Grant Agreement 2009 – 2012

In recognition of our credibility and ability to build accountability through effective bottom-up CSO networks in Africa, South Asia and Latin America, the UK’s Department for International Development is supporting FAN with core funding over three years.

African CSO Network on Water & Sanitation funding 2007 – 2010

This is a partnership between FAN and ANEW, which is supported by the European Commission, South Africa’s Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and WaterAid in collaboration with local partners Maji na Ufanisi (Kenya), ENDA-Rup (Senegal), Kalahari Conservation Society (Botswana), Association pour la Défense des Droits des Consommateurs (Chad).

The funding aims to promote and improve African Civil Society advocacy and participation in water supply and sanitation and integrated water resources management policies and programs, ensuring more people have a say on how to get water or sanitation to people living without it.

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This chart represents subscriber members registered on the FAN database, representing countries from all regions.

The Governance and Transparency Fund in 2008 – 2013

FAN and WaterAid are working together on this five year project funded by the UK’s Department for International Development which will increase the capacity and resources of 30 civil society organizations (14 from FAN), across 16 countries in Africa, Asia and Central America to improve the accountability and responsiveness of governments and service providers in the water and sanitation sector. This is an exciting program in which 85% of the funding goes directly to local partners in developing countries.

WaterAid

WaterAid continue to provide FAN with core funding and invaluable organizational support in the form of office space, fiduciary responsibilities, human resource management and guidance whenever required.

Membership

We believe that a strong and vibrant civil society will transform the way in which water is managed, accessed

and respected. We draw on the creativity, drive and initiative of our membership to further our mission.

We’ve increased membership over the last two years to almost 1000 CSOs over 90 countries. Many members are national networks themselves ensuring FAN’s reach goes far beyond its membership. Our regional networks tell us about what their members want and need and they relay back important information from FAN to them.

FAN Membership Growth 2007-20091000

9500

900

850

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750

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650

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5502007 2008

Year No. Members2009

FAN’s advisory group, which preceded the Governing Council, in 2007

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A strong and vibrant civil society will transform the way water is managed, accessed and respected.

The FAN Secretariat supports the regional networks in advocacy and influencing, fundraising, financial management, information sharing, communications, organizational development and capacity building - invaluable functions for southern civil society to take a leadership role in global advocacy.

African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW)

The ANEW network is the only pan-African organization that brings African civil society voices together in the water and sanitation sector. ANEW has four regional offices based in Nairobi, Botswana, Ndjamena and Dakar representing its Eastern, Southern, Central and Western regions. ANEW is staffed by nine full time and four part-time staff based across the four regions of Africa.

As well as our ongoing support to the regions, we supported ANEW in many different ways between 2008 and 2010 and provided ANEW with core funding from our EU Water Facility grant to transform the network from a loose coalition to an organized and strong voice for African civil society confidently influencing key policy forums - such as Africa Water Week and the Africa Union summit.

In recognition of our efforts, ANEW gave us an appreciation award for our contribution to their growth and development.

Freshwater Action Network South Asia (FANSA)

With money from the Strategic Grant Agreement from DFID, FANSA national networks have made significant progress since they were set up in 2008. The focus during the first year was on mobilizing members and developing an advocacy agenda and training program.

We are helping FANSA to become a strong network by applying lessons from ANEW and FANCA’s development, including the importance of securing flexible funding and having a bottom up advocacy strategy.

Freshwater Action Network Central America (FANCA)

Thanks to the UK Department for International Development’s Governance Transparency Fund (GTF), FANCA has expanded its reach, opening offices throughout Central America.

Their work focuses on transparency and accountability. Importantly, this includes lobbying the national assemblies, capacity building of the Central American water boards and improving accountability within water in resource management.

Freshwater Action Network America South America (FANAS) and FAN Mexico (FAN-Mexico) FANAS and FAN-Mex are our newest networks. Through the Department for International Development’s Strategic Grant Agreement we are supporting both to develop their membership, structures and plans.

They are making good progress, with FAN-Mex having developed their governance structure, advocacy strategy and created a steering committee while FANAS is making key contacts and strengthening the national level networks. Key partners include Coorporación País Solidario in Colombia and the Ipanema Institute in Brazil.

Supporting FAN regional networks to amplify the diverse voices of southern civil society, creating an environment for influencing

Participants at the Training of Trainers workshop demonstrate their communications skills in a team building exercise the highest tower

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Working with the UN Independent Expert on the rights to water and sanitation

Sanitation is a basic human right. Recognition of this right would help marginalized people without access to sanitation hold their governments to account.

This is what we helped our members tell the UN Independent Expert on human rights obligations related to water and sanitation in April 2009.

We gathered evidence of how recognition would make a difference to poor people and presented it to the Independent Expert. The findings supported her submission to the Human Rights Council in 2009 in which she recommended that sanitation be recognized as a human right.

This process is credit to the momentum created by civil society efforts, including many FAN members, over the years. Now we need to keep up the pressure.

FAN members are continuing to lobby their respective governments to build the case for universal recognition and implementation of the rights to water and sanitation.

To support their efforts, the Secretariat is publishing a comprehensive guide to advocating for the rights to water and sanitation in 2010.

South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN)

FAN South Asia (FANSA) undertook a massive campaign for the third South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN III) in New Delhi in November 2008 which saw South Asian governments recognize water and sanitation as rights. FANSA bought together international civil society organizations, regional networks and national and local organizations. Using their collective expertise they made sure the voices of the people they represented were heard and had an impact at the highest political level

FANSA’s national chapters are now monitoring their governments’ commitments and are busy preparing for the next South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN IV) in April 2011.

Promoting evidence-based messages so that policy debates are informed, and accountable to, what people on the ground need and want

Second African Water Week

We supported ANEW to coordinate a two day civil society consultation prior to AMCOW’s Africa Water Week. The demands created by ANEW were presented formally to the African water and sanitation ministers who acknowledged ANEW as their partners in development. ANEW will build on this success at Africa Water Week in 2010.

First Central American water fair Nuestra Agua 2010

FAN members from Central America, Pakistan, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Holland and Peru participated in the first Central American Community Water Management fair in March 2010. It helped make local water committees visible, especially those from urban areas and provided a space for them to share and learn from each other as they presented their work to thousands of visitors.

Influential sector players took part in a roundtable discussion at the fair, including Costa Rica’s legislative assembly vice-president and the new foreign minister.

Candle lit vigil held at the third South Asian Conference on Sanitation commemorating the 5,000 children that die every day as a result of water related disease

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Global change must respond to local voices. Communities can use their experiences to influence policy.

Whether at the UN, the World Bank or a local municipality, we ensure that debates are informed by and accountable to the practical reality of what works for people on the ground. Understanding how water can be managed within the unique contexts in which people live is critical if we are to seriously address the global water crisis. This is a two-way process.

Our members have years of local experience and many are strong and articulate advocates. We work to ensure that during discussions that affect water users, the right people are in the room to present their experiences and share knowledge of how progress can be made. We lobby for our members to be invited to key meetings and conferences and help them to participate in them.

Supporting CSO participation at the World Water Forum, Istanbul, March 2009

Over the years, FAN has participated in a number of intergovernmental water meetings. We built on this experience to prepare 50 regional network members from Africa, Asia and Latin America for the World Water Forum in 2009.

We organized a meeting for CSOs prior to the main forum to help our members make the best use of their time and advocate effectively once they were there.

Sharing knowledge with other partners is crucial to our work. It’s why we worked with the Centre of Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) as the official organizers of the Right to water and sanitation day at the forum. We supported CSOs from Latin America, India and Africa to share their experiences at these sessions.

Engaging with the World Bank

As one of the biggest donors in the developing world, the World Bank makes a huge impact in the countries where FAN members work.

Our members need top-level decision making at the World Bank to be informed by, and accountable to,

the reality of what works for local communities. Without input from local people, decisions won’t work locally.

We attended the World Bank’s annual meeting and the Water Week in Washington to discuss how to to improve dialogue between civil society in the developing world and the Bank. We are also exploring how the Bank can operationalize the rights to water and sanitation.

FAN’s guide to the World Bank will help our members to better understand when and how to influence the Bank and will be published in 2010.

The World Bank itself has put together case studies of civil society engagement in the water sector for review and discussion with a team of members.

Water issues and climate change

They’re the worst affected, but people from poor and marginalized communities often have very little knowledge about climate change issues. Changes to water quality, quantity and availability will all reduce their access to safe water in the coming years.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Conference of Parties (COP-15) in Copenhagen in December 2009 was an opportunity to get this message across.

Identifying opportunities to access key policymakers and increasing the number of NGO advocates with the skills to do so

FAN member Hilda Coelho speaks at the well attended rights to sanitation and water session at the fifth World Water Forum.

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We took part in the numerous meetings in the run up to the main UN convention.

FAN members joined government, intergovernmental and NGO water experts and advocates from around the world in the penultimate set of climate change negotiations in Barcelona in November.

Members urged negotiators to consider the critical role water plays in tackling climate change, and build support for a Copenhagen outcome that clearly recognized the importance of water. They were the only representatives of CSOs from developing countries in the room.

The final text from COP 15 recognized how important it is to prioritize water resource management and the role that civil society organizations can play in implementing and monitoring adaptation at the national and local level.

FAN has now joined the Water and Climate Coalition to take forward this lobbying work.

FAN member Joseph Halder, NGO forum Bangladesh, with Guy Howard, Policy Advisor, DFID on a panel at the Barcelona talks.

With the extremes of weather brought by climate change likely to increase water scarcity problems, our work to address the water crisis is more crucial than ever.

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Our members have valuable lessons to share. Communicating these lessons effectively is central to our work. We do this through our website, newsletters, ebulletins, email and face-to-face meetings. From lobbying high-level decision makers at international events to sharing knowledge and consulting grassroots communities, communication is central to our work.

Our website

The FAN website (www.freshwateraction.net) is attracting more visitors – up 20% over the last year, with an increase of 60,000 hits. This means more donors and decision makers are finding out about our work and more members are learning from each other.

We’re expecting even more people to visit the site when we re-launch it later in 2010. It will be arranged into five sections: impact, learn, news, connect and regions.

Our key communications

We keep members up-to-date through our bi-monthly eBulletins and the printed newsletter Freshwater News.

Both are translated into English, French and Spanish and contain a balance of information from the three main FAN member regions (Africa, South Asia and Latin America). Readership has increased as has the number of members engaging with our content.

In August 2009, we began to translate into Portuguese, ensuring more of our members in Brazil, Mozambique, Angola and Portugal can access news from around the

network. At the same time, FAN South Asia began to send out the publications in Nepali, which increasing awareness of what we do in Nepal.

Building members’ communications expertise

The addition of one part-time person in the FAN Secretariat, improved skills among the regional team and extra resources provided by DFID has meant that FAN is now sharing more best practices and news from the sector than ever before.

Annual meetings of Global Communications Team

The first annual global communications workshop took place in 2008 and was a crucial step toward developing shared ownership of FAN communications among the regional networks’ Communications Officers. In 2010, the second workshop further strengthened the team and its skills and culminated in a multi-media presentation to the Governing Council on the role of communications in FAN.

“The Communications workshop provided an excellent opportunity for us all to meet as a team. I particularly enjoyed the writing workshop and can’t wait to get home to put what I’ve learnt into practice!”

Andres Mora, RCO for FAN Central America (FANCA)

Helping to transfer knowledge throughout the global FAN network

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Congratulations to Sarar Transformación, Mexico for sending us our front cover image. These puppets, made from reused and recycled material, were the protagonists in the show entitled A place for everything and everything in its place, which promotes reducing water use, using compost toilets, composting and recycling, and has engaged audiences of all ages. You can nd out more on page 11.

We chose this photograph because it’s striking, colourful and attention-grabbing, and is a good example of an innovative tool used by one of our members to convey messages around climate change adaptation.

We received some excellent submissions, some of which you will nd elsewhere in this publication. Thanks to all who sent in your photographs.

FAN PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNER!

News from FAN secretariat ..... ...............................................

Bridging the Water and Climate Change agenda…the road to Copenhagen ...................................

CSO participation at 5th World Water Forum .......................

Recognition of the right to sanitation ...................................

REGIONAL UPDATES:ANEW (African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation) ............ ...............................................

FANCA (Freshwater Action Network – Central America)...

FAN-Mex (Freshwater Action Network - Mexico)................

FANAS (Freshwater Action Network – South America).......

FANSA (Freshwater Action Network – South Asia)...............

Contact FAN and Regional Networks ..................................

FAN Member in Focus, UNOVIDA ..........................................

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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Freshwater NewsAugust 2009

No.15

The latest news from Freshwater Action Network

Freshwater NewsFebruary 2010

No.16

The latest news from Freshwater Action Network

CLIMATE CHANGE SPECIAL:Disappointing end to climate change talksFAN lobbies for water at climate change negotiations A Latin American perspective Climate change negotiations in BarcelonaAnd much more…

Freshwater NewsMarch 2009

No.14

The latest news from Freshwater Action Network

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:Lead article: The Governance and Transparency Fund - a new opportunity for FAN ................. 2

News from FAN Secretariat..... 4

ANEW (African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation) ................................ 5

FANCA (Freshwater Action Network – Central America) .. 8

FAN-Mex (Freshwater Action Network-Mexico) ..................... 10

FANAS (Freshwater Action Network – South America) ...... 12

FANSA (Freshwater Action Network – South Asia) ............. 13

Contact FAN and Regional Networks ................................... 15

FAN Member in Focus ............. 16

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Congratulations to G M Sastry for sending us our front cover image of the silent candlelight vigil held in Delhi prior to the South Asian Conference on Sanitation.

The theme of the competition is strengthening the role of civil society in water governance. We chose this photograph because it illustrates the theme effectively and is also well composed.

FANSA joined grassroots organisations together for a pre-meeting to in uence the outcomes of the recent conference. Find out

more about the outcomes of the meeting on page 13.

We received some excellent entries, some of which you will nd elsewhere in this publication. Thanks to all who participated.

We are running another competition for Freshwater News August 2009. For a chance to win US$50 of book tokens and have your work illustrated on the front cover of the next edition, send compelling pictures of your work to: fan@freshwateraction.net

FAN PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

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Freshwater NewsAugust 2010

No.17

The latest news from Freshwater Action Network

INSIDE:Coming full circle – a strategic path to independence Special focus on governance Surprising comments during right to water and sanitation dialogues in AfricaNational network formed in Peru - a step closer to a stronger FANASAdvocacy success in Nicaragua – water law approved!Bottled water drowns the right to water in Mexico Lajana Manandhar at the civil society consultation on the Millennium Development GoalsAnd lots more…

Freshwater News, FAN’s newsletter, which is published twice a year

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For the year ended 31 March 2009

Income Unrestricted (£) Restricted (£) Total 2008/09 (£)

WaterAid for running costsSalaries 231,196EU Water Facility 361,431DFID GTF 49,373

Total income 231,196 410,804 642,000

ExpenditureSalaries 93,905Communications 30,327Travel 9,748Governance 20,146South Asia 15,073Latin America 30,514World Water Forum 43,994Adjustment for 07-08 (12,512)EU Water Facility 361,431DFID GTF 49,373

Total expenditure 231,196 410,804 642,000

Balances as at 31 March 2009 0 0 0

For the year ended 31 March 2010

Income Unrestricted (£) Restricted (£) Total 2009/10 (£)

Unrestricted funding (WaterAid) 81,962EU Water Facility 697,166DFID SGA 222,724DFID GTF 522,665Programme Management Fund 52,366Innovation Fund 21,897EXPO 24,943

Total income 81,962 1,541,760 1,623,722

ExpenditureRunning costs 78,847 91,356Governance 1,830 28,553Communications 410 42,095Advocacy 178 22,987Program support 698 58,729Grants to partners – ANEW 792,938Grants to partners – FANCA 199,488Grants to partners – FANSA 278,252Grants to partners – FAN-Mex 13,422Grants to partners – FANAS 13,938

Total expenditure 81,962 1,541,760 1,623,722

Balances as at 31 March 2010 0 0 0

NB Financial year 2009-2010 not yet audited

Statement of financial activities

Freshwater Action Network2nd Floor47 - 49 Durham Street London SE11 5JDUnited Kingdom

Phone: +44 (0)20 7793 4522

Fax: +44 (0)20 7793 4545

Email: fan@freshwateraction.net

Website: www.freshwateraction.net

With special thanks to our volunteers for their time, our donors for their investment, our partners for implementing the work plan Both ENDs and to WaterAid for their continued support of the FAN mission.

Further Information

Freshwater Action Network (FAN) is an international network of Non-Governmental

and Community Based Organizations, part of WaterAid, a UK registered charity no. 288701