Patrick Quinn
Published: 2016
Total Pages:
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"Abstract: As the era of the Millennium Development Goals draws to an end in 2015, the United Nations members along with World leaders will negotiate how to include water and sanitation targets as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is estimated globally that close to 1 billion (14 %) of the human population still lacks access to safe drinking water and over 2.4 billion (36 %) people lack access to improved sanitation services. It is thus essential to examine the mechanisms that have been developed by the United Nations to increase access to water and sanitation services. This thesis aims to provide an exploratory analysis on the role of collaborative water partnerships known as the Water Operators' Partnership. These partnerships were developed by the United Nations to increase access to water and sanitation services in developing countries. Water Operators' Partnerships are not for profit public - public, public - private, private - private partnerships. There has been limited empirical research on the participation of North American Water Utilities in these alternative types of partnerships. In this research, this gap is partially addressed through the examination of the Belize Water Service - Contra Costa Water District, is the first Water Operators' Partnership between a North American and a Central American water utility. Through the exploration of the Belize Water Service - Contra Costa Water District case study, this thesis will highlight the need for decision makers to characterize water resources in terms of plural values operating within the Water Operators' Partnerships framework. This research used observations, interviews and participation in job shadowing sessions completed in the field as part of Belize Water Service - Contra Costa Water District Water Operators' Partnership documenting process. Archival documents were also collected from various stakeholders. Contextual factors such as political, socio-economic and environmental defining how water operators' function, were also examined through an extensive literature review. The reliance of Contra Costa Water District on market mechanisms and technological solutions for addressing water allocation issues has resulted in a techno-centric value system for resolving water distribution issues. The dual role of the Inter-American Development Bank in the funding of the Belize Water Service - Contra Costa Water District Water Operators' Partnership as well as the development of a water and sanitation project in Belize has characterized this particular WOP as a hierarchical partnership focused on capacity subsitution rather than capacity development. Accordingly, the Belize Water Service - Contra Costa Water District Water Operators' Partnership requires re-structuring to allow for polycentric governance framing that recognizes the plural values that different actors ascribe to water resources. Introducing polycentric governance in the development of collaborative partnerships such as WOPs will enhance the chance of increasing access to improved water and sanitation services for rural and poorer segments of the population. Finally a multitiered WOP framework is proposed in this research, identifying the need to consider several levels of intervention while recognizing their interdependence in order to ensure a sustainable and equitable delivery of water and sanitation services in both the urban and rural sectors in developing countries.Keywords: SDGs, water and sanitation, multitiered Water Operators' Partnership, Polycentric governance." --