Although access to public goods and services such as water and waste disposal is crucial, it is often unreliable or only available to a limited extent in some regions of the world. This is where utility partnerships between municipal companies come in: In the face of climate change, growing cities and digitalisation, municipal companies in Germany and in partner countries are facing similar challenges in order to continue providing their services. In Ukraine, war damage is making operations even more difficult. Furthermore, demanding EU standards in countries that are candidates for EU accession can pose an additional challenge.

The Utility Platform supports 29 utility partnerships between 22 German municipal companies and 29 operators in Albania, Jordan, Moldova, Ukraine, Zambia, South Africa and Tanzania in the water and circular economy sector. The platform promotes collegial exchange on topics such as the operation and maintenance of facilities and corporate management in order to improve local supply. The core of the cooperation includes technical advice, exchange of expertise, on-site work assignments, job shadowing in Germany, virtual meetings and the procurement of equipment, particularly for Ukraine.