IRC Symposium 2010 - First Announcement

Pumps, Pipes and Promises - Costs, Finances and Accountability for Sustainable WASH services

Introduction

How much does it cost to provide WASH services? How are WASH services financed? And, how can accountability in the provision of WASH services be ensured?

These are questions that concern us all as WASH sector professionals and consumers. Better understanding of the link between these questions and their corresponding debates is essential not only for delivering greater sustainability in the sector but also in supporting more effectively the needs of those who require these services most.

In recognising the global need to find answers to these urgent questions, this year’s IRC Symposium 2010 will explore these three core themes in the context of the provisioning and use of decentralised WASH services. In addition to examining the key interlinking factors between these themes, the Symposium will also address some of the key issues of governance in the sector specifically with regard to cost effectiveness, finances and financing.

By bringing together professionals from across the international WASH sector, this year’s IRC Symposium will address these core themes through a series of sessions and papers which will be presented over three days from 16-18 November, 2010 in The Hague. With each theme supported by three separate sub-themes, it is anticipated that the linkages between the latter will form the basis of the nine sessions comprising the Symposium.

Target Audience and Set Up

The Symposium is open to a broad spectrum of professionals from across the WASH sector from practitioners and policy makers, to funders and researchers. Capacity is limited to 120 participants.

Conducted in English, this three-day symposium will open with selected keynote presentations, followed by parallel case study sessions addressing the points highlighted in the accompanying Background Paper. (NB The Background Paper will be distributed in advance of the event.)

A defining feature of the Symposium will be the significant amount of space provided to facilitate discussion among participants and opportunities to build on the outputs from the sessions, papers and issues presented.

Location & Welcome Reception

The event will start on the evening of Monday 15 November, 2010 with an informal cocktail reception and registration at IRC’s office in the heart of The Hague in the Netherlands.

The Symposium itself will take place over three days from Tuesday 16 to Thursday 18 November inclusive and will be held at the Concordia Theatre situated in the centre of The Hague.

The venue is equipped with modern conference facilities, is fully accessible for those with disabilities or mobility impairments and both hotel accommodation and transportation are within easy reach.

Call for Abstracts

Individuals and organisations wishing to write and or present a paper at the symposium will be required to submit an abstract to IRC in the first instance to: symposium@irc.nl.

You may find it helpful to download the full details of the symposium themes when deciding which theme(s) – cost, finance, accountability – to submit your abstract for. Alternatively, click on the dedicated theme links on the right hand side of the page for more information.

Please note that the deadline for submissions is Wednesday 31 March 2010.

Register now to secure your place at the symposium

As part of this first announcement, we would like to invite individuals/organisations wishing to submit an abstract and paper for the symposium, as well as those wishing to attend the symposium as participants to register online. We invite you to complete and submit the registration form here.
Registration fee: €525 (€475 for registrations received before Saturday 31 July 2010)

Sponsorship Opportunities

We would be particularly pleased to hear from those interested in co-sponsoring opportunities at the event. For further details, please contact Peter Ryan at: Ryan@irc.nl.