The FAO-ESCAP pilot project on national water visions. From vision ...

Vision 21 was conceived during the Global Forum on Water Supply and Sanitation of the
Collaborative Council held in Manila in 1997 to improve universal access to water supply
and sanitation facilities through shared efforts.
<strong>The</strong> conference stressed the importance of defining a shared vision leading to common
strategic choices and actions. It underscored the need to visualize the desired state of water
supply and sanitation in the future and steer the different stakeholders towards this vision.
<strong>The</strong> series of workshops from the regional consultations leading to the national conference
had emphasized the need for a participatory approach articulating the needs of the various
stakeholders to draw up a list of the changes and actions needed to attain the vision. <strong>The</strong>
conference capped the local consultations done in several grassroots communities.
<strong>The</strong> objectives of the workshop were to elicit a shared vision, identify changes necessary to
attain the vision and map out the steps that should be taken within the next five years to effect
the desired changes.
To arrive at a vision for water supply and sanitation, the workshop participants were divided
into nine groups, each group including representatives of private, government and nongovernment
organizations in order to stimulate exchanges of views. Facilitators were
assigned to each group and discussions were triggered by guidance questions and
‘situationers’ proved helpful in integrating the various perspectives.
<strong>The</strong> key phrases or images solicited to describe the state of the water supply, sewerage and
sanitation in 2025 are as follows:
Water supply Sewerage Sanitation
• Sustainable
• Affordable
• Potable
• Safe and clean
• Accessible
• Sufficient
• World-class
• Conserved & protected
watershed areas
• Comprehensive
system
countrywide
• State-of-the-art
system
• Strict
enforcement
• Environmentally
sustainable garbage
disposal system
countrywide
• 100% compliance
<strong>The</strong>se key phrases were crafted into a vision statement for each of the nine groups, leading to
the formulation of an integrated vision statement, which reads: “A world-class, affordable
and sustainable water supply, sanitation and sewerage system accessible to every Filipino.”
Entry points for change were also identified in the workshop to narrow the gap between
desired and actual output and enhance the attainment of the groups’ vision statement. <strong>The</strong>
points are as follows:
National water visions in Southeast Asia 47