Vision

Our Vision is that of a world in which all people enjoy safely managed water services that are resilient and sustainable.

Values

  • People are at the heart of solving rural water supply challenges.
  • Openness and respect allows for free exchange of experience and knowledge, and disagreement is handled in a reasoned and respectful way.
  • Improved collaboration and learning are core to eliminating poverty and achieving the Vision.
  • We should always lead by example with professionalism, a commitment to high quality work, integrity and a focus on water user needs.
  • Diversity is essential, and our activities should always have a vibrant mix of voices from different nationalities, languages, backgrounds, professions, genders, abilities and ages.

Aim

We aim to improve the quality of rural water services and their management.

Mission

RWSN is a convening space for individual professionals and organisations to collaborate, develop guidelines and standards, curate knowledge, and promote lifelong learning in the rural water sector. RWSN will inspire and support more women to become active at all levels of decision-making, from remote villages to the United Nations.


Network Priorities

  • At least double individual and organisational membership.
  • Double member organisation engagement.
  • Double member engagement in Latin America & Caribbean and Asia & Pacific.
  • Significantly increase engagement by women and young professionals in network activities.
  • Increase knowledge exchange at global and national/ regional level between members.
  • Create and curate more resources in French, Portuguese and Spanish.
  • Broaden training & mentoring offer to be the go-to centre for professional development and accreditation/ certification in the rural water sector, through partnerships with existing organisations.
  • Technical guidelines and standards developed to fill existing gaps.
  • Evolve our business model to adapt the needs and resources available.

Embracing diversity is central to how we work, and in everything we do we will support the voice, leadership and career 


Thematic Priorities

  • Improving access to safe drinking water by supporting the uptake and use of the WHO Guidelines for drinking water quality: Small Water Supplies (2024).
  • Improving rural water delivery services and regulation.
  • Promoting a “One-Water” approach based on how rural people access and use water for their lives and livelihoods.
  • Improving the effectiveness, efficiency and resilience of the underlying systems on which these depend.

Achieving this through network activities focused on the RWSN Themes of:

  • Data for Action: Operational data, benchmarking, mapping, remote monitoring, tools and technology, water quality monitoring.
  • Leave no one behind: Human Rights, Social accountability, overcoming barriers to access, gender and inclusion.

  • Multiple Use Services: Income generation, farmer-led irrigation, rural livelihoods.

  • Self-Supply: Household investment, market development, rainwater harvesting.

  • Sustainable Groundwater Development: Pump technology, drilling professionalisation, groundwater management.

  • Sustainable Services: Management models, financing, enabling environment, life cycle costing, resilience.

  • Water Quality and Safety: Water quality monitoring, treatment, Water Safety Planning, catchment protection

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