"WATER, ENERGY AND OTHER ESSENTIAL SERVICES
MAKING THE CASE FOR AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
PREFACE BY KOFI ANNAN
Since 2004, the members of (Re)sources, researchers, academics, politicians, professional operators, and activists around economic and social development, have been working and reflecting together on better access to water, sanitation and energy in African and Middle Eastern countries.
Their collective work "Water, Energy and Other Essential Services. Advocacy for an integrated approach" is the result of their work, reflections and debates. It brings together 13 years of recommendations and concrete orientations to alert the international community to a crucial issue for development.
ACCESS TO WATER AND SANITATION:
- 3 to 4 billion people still need better access to drinking water.
- 1.8 million children around the world die every year because they drink unsafe water.
- 4.5 billion people do not have access to safe sanitation.
ACCESS TO ENERGY :
- 1.4 billion people do not have access to electricity.
- 3 billion people depend on wood, coal or animal waste for cooking and heating.
- Energy demand is expected to increase by 40% by 2040.
THESE FIGURES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE
Children in Africa or Asia need to have access to light to study. Women must be freed from the daily chore of fetching water and become financially independent... And many other advances still hampered by the lack of water, sanitation and energy.
The book presents an overview of access to essential services in African and Middle Eastern countries and the challenges related to major global changes such as population growth, urbanization, industrialization, global warming, migration and military conflicts.
At the end of the book, (Re)sources experts formulate 88 proposals drawn from their field experiences for universal access to water, sanitation and energy.