EBC Foundation promotes and, where possible, facilitates exchanges between water companies to learn from each other. We are happy to inform you about two relevant opportunities to share knowledge and experiences with other water companies abroad.
1. EU WOP Fund Phase 2
As we announced during last year’s workshop in Turin, GWOPA (part of UN-Habitat) has launched a new Call for Proposals for Water Operator Partnerships funded by the EU (EU WOP Fund Phase 2). This concerns both the expansion of existing WOPs and the initiation of new WOPs.
The purpose of a WOP is to help colleague utilities from (mostly) developing countries improve their services through peer-to-peer support.
Like in Phase 1, EBC Foundation is open to contribute to WOPs with a benchmarking component.
For your convenience, the Call for Applications (overview) is attached. More information about the WOP concept and the EU WOP Fund Phase 2 will be provided by GWOPA during an online information session on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, from 14:00 – 15:00 CEST (see Information Session - EU-WOP 2 Call for Proposals | GWOPA).
The Call for Proposals closes on 26 September 2025 for expanding existing WOPs and on 7 November 2025 for new WOPs.
If you are interested in being engaged in WOPs and would like to discuss ideas with EBC and/or colleagues in the network, we would be happy to hear from you!
2. Oman water utility’s demand for exchange
Oman Water and Wastewater Services Company (OWWSC), participant in the EBC programme since 2016, is currently searching for opportunities for on-the-job staff training and has asked EBC to explore interest among the utilities in its network. This request from OWWSC concerns training of staff in drinking water and wastewater operations, though other areas may also be considered.
If your company is interested in facilitating such an exchange/training on-the-job, or if you would like to know more about it, feel free to contact us at administrator@waterbenchmark.org.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions regarding one of these initiatives.
Sincerely,
EBC Foundation Team