Hi all, 

The 4th Global WOPs Congress is around the corner — from 18-28 October, the congress will gather hundreds of public water and sanitation utilities and their partners including donors, NGOs, regulators, government, research institutes and others. And we invite you to take part as well.
To register for the Congress just follow this link to the registration page: gwopa.org/wop-congress/register/ 

Of course, there are a number of sessions dedicated to sanitation and sanitation-focused partnerships, e.g.: 

• Utilities making inclusive and safe sanitation a reality 
• What does Climate Resilience mean for Water and Sanitation Operators?
• Advancing SDG 6.3.1 monitoring at the local level – Utilities championing urban wastewater treatment 
• Health, Safety and Dignity of Sanitation Workers 

You can find the overall programme at-a-glance  here 



Each of us has something to learn, but also something to share with water and sanitation utility staff. We hope to see you from 18th–29th of October at this free and fully online event, because by learning from each other we can be better prepared for the challenges ahead.

Best regards, 
Franziska 

Thanks, Elisabeth! Yes, it is and will be an interesting discussion on the naming and visibility of sanitation. A great recent example is the African Water Association turning into ‘’African Water and Sanitation Association’’ (AfWASA) . Let's see where WOPs/SWOPs are heading...

I just adapted the title of the thread, as the deadline has been moved to 18 May! So still opportunities to submit expressions of interest (no detailed level of speakers etc needed at this stage) for the WOPs congress. 

The congress is open and free of charge. More information about the Call – themes, format and process – and the Congress can be found here:   gwopa.org/wop-congress/   and in the congress brochure   gwopa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/glo...ongress-brochure.pdf . 

The GWOPA team would also be happy to present details of the congress over a call and explore ways how SuSanA members and partners can be involved in it - feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

Best regards, 
Franziska

Hi Franzi,
Such a pity that we have lost you from GIZ/SuSanA, but so nice to see you pop up again in a different role! I've never paid much attention to GWOP (global water operators partnership) before but now that you'll there, I'll pay more attention!

Looking at the program of the upcoming online congress I am happy to see that it does include faecal sludge management:

Thematic areas:
Advancing sanitation: Wastewater collection and treatment, protecting water quality, fecal sludge management, reuse

Wondering if one day the title "water operators" should be changed or if FSM will always remain so closely related to water & wastewater utilities anyhow that it doesn't matter much.

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear SuSanA members, 

The 4^th Global WOPs (Water and Sanitation Operator Partnerships) Congress will take place from 18-29 October 2021. The WOPs Congress brings together stakeholders from all walks of life who support public water and sanitation utilities, including national, sub-national and local governments, donors and financial institutions, and many more. 

Although COVID remains a major global challenge to water and sanitation service providers, operators and their staff are facing many other immediate and longer-term challenges every day: a fast-changing climate, revenue loss, depletion of resources, underinvestment and growing inequalities, among many others.

Learning from each other, sharing experiences, and inspiring action is a critical way for operators to improve their services and ultimately enrich the lives of the people and communities they serve.

This spirit of collaboration and solidarity is at the heart of the Global WOPs Congress

This 4^th edition will be fully online and will offer thematic and WOP sessions, an #OPERATORsSTAGE and side events. A call for expressions of interest is now open and interested parties are invited to contribute by convening or co-convening a session, providing a speaker, or background papers and research.  One of the five themes of the congress is Advancing sanitation: Wastewater collection and treatment, protecting water quality, fecal sludge management, and reuse.

The congress is open and free of charge. More information about the Call – themes, format and process – and the Congress can be found here:  gwopa.org/wop-congress/  and in the congress brochure  gwopa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/glo...ongress-brochure.pdf  

Who will be there? Around half of all congress participants are staff from public water and sanitation operators. The other half are representatives from international and development agencies, donors, civil society and other water and sanitation stakeholders and decision makers.

I will post updates once the registration opens and the programme is released. 

Best regards, 
Franziska