Water operators partnerships (WOPs) are being established around the world to help countries meet UN water and sanitation goals. The CariWOP platform was launched in 2009 to facilitate partnerships between Caribbean water operators. It aims to match operators for twinning programs, training workshops, and knowledge sharing. CariWOP has an institutional structure and strategic plan in place. It is coordinating with other regional WOP platforms under the Global WOPs Alliance to further cooperation between water operators globally.

2. Water Operators Partnerships CariWOP Platform for the Caribbean Helping Caribbean Operators to Help one Another Tomás López de Bufalá, Regional Programme Officer for LAC Global Water Operators Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) UN-HABITAT Saint George’s (Grenada), October 3th, 2010

3. Response to a Global Challenge Many countries are off track to meet the water & sanitation MDGs Urgent need to accelerate progress! Water Operators are essential to achieving the MDGs . Operators have great capacity, but unevenly distributed Water Operators’ Partnerships a key component of UNSGAB’s Hashimoto Action Plan to step up effort to achieve MDGs UN-HABITAT to host the Global WOPs Mechanism with the help of partners UN-HABITAT formed an global alliance of partners to help increase the scope and impact of WOPs: Global WOPs Alliance

4. What are WOPs? Sharing

5. Good reasons to get involved in WOPs

6. . Advocacy and Communications Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance www.gwopa.org

8. Linking WOP Platforms and promoting cooperation

9. WOP Platforms in Latin America and the Caribbean There are nowadays 5 WOP platforms in LAC region (under the umbrella of GWOPA) : ✓ WOP-LAC Platform , fully operative ✓ CariWOP Platform , launched ✓ WOP-Mexico , under construction ✓ WOP-Colombia , under construction ✓ WOP-Brazil , under construction

10. CariWOP Platform Launched in 2009 (St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands) as collaboration between CWWA and CBWMP, supported by GWOPA and WOP-LAC Institutional structure already designed (Secretariat , Steering Comittee and General Assembly) Defined the Strategic Action Plan and under construction the CariWOP Work Plan 2011 ✓ Matchmaking workshop in 2009, in Guyana ✓ Twining/WOPs already ongoing (i.e.: GWI & BWSL, CCWD & BWSL…) ✓ Training and/or capacity building workshops (i.e.: NRW, EE…) Coordination Team has developed a 5-years CariWOP Programme submitted to EU Water Facility (€1,480,000) , successfully validated during CWWA Congress 2010 WE ENCOURAGE AND EXPECT YOUR PARTICIPATION!!