Background

The Water Operators Partnership (WOPs) Program is a collaboration between the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Global Water Partnership (GWP). It aims to enable water utilities to improve service coverage and delivery, financial sustainability, and other aspects of their performance. One of its key strategies is the Twinning Program which establishes twinning partnerships between water utilities, where an expert (or mentor) water utility is engaged to help recipient utilities in developing countries enhance their skills and operational efficiency. To date, a total of 10 twinning partnerships have been established by ADB focusing mostly on NRW management and the twinning approach has resulted in tangible improvements and encouraging results and outcomes.

In February 2009, the first annual Twinning Regional Forum was held in Daejon, Korea. This year, the annual forum gathered twinning partners and other interested utilities in Manila, Philippines.

Objectives

• Learn from completed and ongoing twinning partnerships
• Improve the twinning process and identify key actions to expand the twinning program
• Strengthen twinning relations and facilitate peer-to-peer knowledge exchange

Expected outputs

• A shared understanding of the results achieved under the twinning program
• Better insights into good operational practices provided by the "expert" twins
• Proposals to improve the twinning process based on experiences and lessons learned
• A stronger network between and among the twinning water utilities

Organizers

The Forum was organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Participants

Senior officials of water utilities involved in the ADB twinning program, as well as representatives from national water associations and selected development partners attended the Forum.

Highlights

Some 60 participants from water utilities, water associations, and development partners involved in the WOPs Program attended the Forum. Expert and recipient water utilities shared twinning experiences and some lessons learned, including

• Importance of trust and openness for successful twinning partnerships
• Need to work closely and maintain a good communication
• Expert twin's main focus is on mentoring and advising and not implementing
• The best outcomes will be achieved when recipient twins have a clear focus on their priorities; well defined work plans will drive best value outcomes

To date, a total of 11 twinning partnerships have been established under the WOPs' Program focusing mainly on NRW reduction and management. These partnerships have resulted in tangible improvements and encouraging good results and outcomes.

Plaques were awarded to twins that have completed their partnerships. A total of 5 twinning arrangements have been completed:

• Binh Duong Water Supply Sewerage Environment Company, Ltd. (Binh Duong, Viet Nam) and Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
• Thimphu City Corporation (Thimphu, Bhutan) and Male Water and Sewerage Company , Pvt., Ltd. (Male, Maldives)
• Davao City Water District (Davao City, Philippines) and Ranhill Utilities Berhad (Johor Bahru, Malaysia)
• Da Nang Water Supply Company (Da Nang, Viet Nam) and Hai Phong Water Supply One Member Company Ltd. (Hai Phong, Viet Nam)
• Metropolitan Cebu Water District (Cebu, Philippines) and City West Water (Melbourne, Australia)