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Linking education, industry and regulation together Through our networks we know what regulations are necessary and effective. We have extensive experience in managing the demand side of water in drought-prone countries like Australia, and extensive experience in designing regulatory frameworks that work. We have between us all the best practice models in regulation, be it in product certification, standards and codes, and enforcement and monitoring. We know what good and effective regulation looks like.
We must continue and build upon our very successful collaborations with the bodies I have mentioned today, such as the WHO and other international bodies, but also with WorldSkills and other skills focused entities.
The WPC needs to expand our reach, broadening our membership base to include more countries, more regions, and more associations and communities.
Our current membership base of about 30 countries means we have representation in many parts of the globe, but there are many countries yet to join and in this coming term, a key objective of the WPC will be to increase memberships.
Concluding remarks The scale of the water scarcity challenge is immense. For millions, it is the difference between a prosperous future and an impoverished one. For hundreds of millions more, it is the difference between life and death.
I am confident though that as a collective, the WPC has within its reach all the ingredients necessary for the solutions to be realised; we now need to bring them all together and channel our collective effort to where we know it is most needed.
As the new term of the WPC begins, it is an appropriate time to recommit to working with partner organisations, leveraging our existing networks and international policy architecture to find ways to bring education, industry and regulation together to progress in achieving better access to water and sanitation around the world.
I would challenge all here today to think about the part you can play in tangibly supporting this newly appointed WPC Board, so we can stand in Melbourne in three years’ time, convinced that we have made a difference. PA
www. plumbingafrica. co. za February 2017 Volume 22 I Number 12