Accra Consensus
Agenda for Research, Capacity Building & Action on the Safe Use of Wastewater and Excreta in Agriculture
In collaboration with IDRC and WHO, IWMI organized from 6th to 9th October an international expert consultation in Accra, Ghana, to brainstorm about the state of the art of applied research on wastewater irrigation in low-income countries. This meeting followed the one in Hyderabad in 2002 which emphasized the common reality of wastewater use and its related livelihoods and concluded with the Hyderabad Declaration.
The participants discussed overview papers on health risk assessments, on options for health risk reduction (including non-treatment options) and on participatory governance in wastewater treatment for reuse. The resulting papers will be published jointly by Earthscan, IDRC and IWMI.
The group of about 40 participants from 30 international, regional, and national research institutes, multilateral and bilateral bodies, and universities based in 17 countries emphasized the need to support policy makers around the world in informed decision making that lead to cost-effective interventions that improve public health, promote sustainable sanitation, protect the environment, and support food security and economic development.
For this, the group agreed on the following Accra Consensus : Agenda for Research, Capacity Building & Action on the Safe Use of Wastewater and Excreta in Agriculture.
