African Ministers Council on Water

The Africa Working Group (AWG) was established in 2004 and has since then promoted and led the Africa-EU Partnership. The African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) is chairing the AWG. It is supported by a “Troika” of EU Member States (MS) and the European Commission (EC). The Troika comprises a leading member state (as co-chair), the past and the next leading member state. Denmark led in 2004, the Netherlands in 2005, Germany in 2006, France in 2007, the UK in 2008, Austria in 2009 and in 2010 the Netherlands again. IRC provided secretariat support and technical advice to the AWG. The co-chair role offers an opportunity to influence a wide range of key players and promote coherent effective and efficient action across a range of partners.

The AWG is committed to support the recent Sanitation and Water for All: A Global Framework for Action (Gf4A) initiative and plans to play an enabling role among EU-member states and African countries in the preparatory process leading to the high level meeting in Washington on 23 April 2010. It is also supporting the African countries and EU member states in implementing the agreements and principles of the GF4A. This will have a positive impact on the needed African ownership and related African inputs to the conceptualisation and implementation of the GF4A