Title: “Sustainable Water Use and Management”

Where: World Water Day, United Nations Office- Geneva (UNOG), Switzerland

When: March 22, 2009

Awardees:

• France and Switzerland, for their good governance and cooperation in transboundary water resources management

This case demonstrates the necessity and the effectiveness of establishing cross-border cooperation for urban water management. In Switzerland, there are six regional and 19 local sewage disposal plans (one per district), on rivers shared with France. Many rivers which had previously suffered from high pollution are now protected by Swiss federal law. Additionally, the governments instituted citizen education programs, particularly for children, on how to better treat water. Importantly, residents on both sides of the border received the exact same information. Collaboration is also managed through the joint partnership, “Groupement Local de Coopération Transfrontalière,” comprised of Canton Vaud, Canton Geneva, the Rhone-Alp region, and the Departments of Haute-Savoie and Ain.