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TIMOR-LESTE LEARNS ABOUT LANDMARK ARMENIA WATER REFORMS AT ADB WORKSHOP
Targeted News Service
November 18, 2014 Tuesday 2:45 AM EST
YEREVAN, Armenia
The Asian Development Bank issued the following news release:
High-level government officials from Timor-Leste at an Asian
Development Bank (ADB)-European Investment Bank (EIB) joint workshop
have learned firsthand how Armenia has transformed its water supply
sector by implementing reforms and partnering with the private sector.
Aderito Hugo da Costa, Vice President of the National Parliament; Rui
Araujo, Advisor to the Ministry of Finance; and Virgilio Guterres,
Director General EDTL, attended the workshop on Improving Water
Management through Public-Private Partnerships on 12-13 November. ADB
is helping the Government of Timor-Leste to assess the feasibility
of public-private partnership arrangements to support improved water
services delivery in the capital city, Dili.
The Timor-Leste delegation met with key water sector stakeholders
on 11-12 November, including officials from the State Committee on
Water and Economy, Public Services Regulatory Commission, as well as
water supply operators Yerevan Water and Armenia Water and Sewerage
Corporation. The visit was financed through an ADB technical assistance
project, Strengthening Water Sector Management and Service Delivery.
Timor-Leste and Armenia may be thousands of kilometers apart, but both
countries have faced similar challenges in ensuring their populations
have access to safe, reliable, water supply services.
Since 2000, the Government of Armenia has significantly improved
service quality by effectively delegating service provision
responsibility to the private sector. At the same time the government
has maintained overall responsibility for policymaking, regulation,
and ownership of water supply infrastructure. It has established an
independent multi-utility regulatory body to regulate tariff levels
and service standards.
Following independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union,
the population of Armenia, a country of around 3.2 million people,
only had access to water supply for a few hours a day because of
dilapidated infrastructure, poor service delivery arrangements,
and rising demand for water services.
In Timor-Leste, much of the water supply infrastructure was destroyed
in 1999 during post-referendum violence. In addition, infrastructure
has been deteriorating over time due to inadequate maintenance and
insufficient capital investments. In Dili, only 36% of the population
has a piped water supply. On average customers in Dili receive just
6 hours of water per day.
As Timor-Leste considers how to achieve the Strategic Development
Plan goal of providing clean 24-hour water supply to the country's
population by 2030, the Armenian reform experience has provided
important examples that may be incorporated into the country's own
water sector reform strategy. Some of the key lessons learned from
the Armenian experience include the need for political support for
sector reforms at the highest levels, the existence of a committed
government reform champion to drive the reform process, and adequate
investment in infrastructure development.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the
Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable
growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned
by 67 members--48 from the region. In 2013, ADB assistance totaled
$21.0 billion, including cofinancing of $6.6 billion.
Targeted News Service
November 18, 2014 Tuesday 2:45 AM EST
YEREVAN, Armenia
The Asian Development Bank issued the following news release:
High-level government officials from Timor-Leste at an Asian
Development Bank (ADB)-European Investment Bank (EIB) joint workshop
have learned firsthand how Armenia has transformed its water supply
sector by implementing reforms and partnering with the private sector.
Aderito Hugo da Costa, Vice President of the National Parliament; Rui
Araujo, Advisor to the Ministry of Finance; and Virgilio Guterres,
Director General EDTL, attended the workshop on Improving Water
Management through Public-Private Partnerships on 12-13 November. ADB
is helping the Government of Timor-Leste to assess the feasibility
of public-private partnership arrangements to support improved water
services delivery in the capital city, Dili.
The Timor-Leste delegation met with key water sector stakeholders
on 11-12 November, including officials from the State Committee on
Water and Economy, Public Services Regulatory Commission, as well as
water supply operators Yerevan Water and Armenia Water and Sewerage
Corporation. The visit was financed through an ADB technical assistance
project, Strengthening Water Sector Management and Service Delivery.
Timor-Leste and Armenia may be thousands of kilometers apart, but both
countries have faced similar challenges in ensuring their populations
have access to safe, reliable, water supply services.
Since 2000, the Government of Armenia has significantly improved
service quality by effectively delegating service provision
responsibility to the private sector. At the same time the government
has maintained overall responsibility for policymaking, regulation,
and ownership of water supply infrastructure. It has established an
independent multi-utility regulatory body to regulate tariff levels
and service standards.
Following independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union,
the population of Armenia, a country of around 3.2 million people,
only had access to water supply for a few hours a day because of
dilapidated infrastructure, poor service delivery arrangements,
and rising demand for water services.
In Timor-Leste, much of the water supply infrastructure was destroyed
in 1999 during post-referendum violence. In addition, infrastructure
has been deteriorating over time due to inadequate maintenance and
insufficient capital investments. In Dili, only 36% of the population
has a piped water supply. On average customers in Dili receive just
6 hours of water per day.
As Timor-Leste considers how to achieve the Strategic Development
Plan goal of providing clean 24-hour water supply to the country's
population by 2030, the Armenian reform experience has provided
important examples that may be incorporated into the country's own
water sector reform strategy. Some of the key lessons learned from
the Armenian experience include the need for political support for
sector reforms at the highest levels, the existence of a committed
government reform champion to drive the reform process, and adequate
investment in infrastructure development.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the
Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable
growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned
by 67 members--48 from the region. In 2013, ADB assistance totaled
$21.0 billion, including cofinancing of $6.6 billion.