The UNSG Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation is an independent body established in March 2004 by Mr. Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General in order to give him advice as well as to galvanize global action on water and sanitation issues. The Board membership includes government, finance, administration, academia, labor, NGOs, public and private operators.

At the World Water Forum in Mexico City last March, the Board released the document titled "The Compendium of Actions" also known as the Hashimoto Action Plan that outlines a work plan on global scale to help ensure the attainment of the MDG for water and sanitation. The Board selected six themes for specific actions namely, i) Water Operators Partnerships ii), Financing, iii) Sanitation, iv) Monitoring and Reporting, v) Integrated Water Resources Management, and vi) Water and Disaster.

The Advisory Board held a meeting with representatives of AU, AMCOW and the African Development Bank on July 10, 2006 in Paris where they presented the Compendium of Actions and exchanged view on African water issues and role of the Board in support of the African initiative designed to achieve the MDG in Africa. It was agreed on this meeting that a wider dialogue that will involve key regional stakeholders be organized in December 2006 in Tunis. The meting identified the African Development Bank as the focal institution for organizing the Dialogue and facilitates the presentation of the African Water Agenda.

The main objective of the Dialogue is to exchange on the Hashimoto Action Plan with African Stakeholders and formulate a framework of engagement of the UNSGAB in support the ongoing African Water Initiatives. The main outcome of the Dialogue will be the design of specific actions for UNSGAB involvement and support in the implementation of the African water initiatives in the six theme areas identified in the Hashimoto Action Plan.

The Dialogue will be jointly organized by the African Development and the Board Secretariat and will take place at the Sheraton Hotel in Tunis from December 13-15, 2006
The highlights of the programme are:

• December 13th, 2006:
  The 7th Meeting of UNSGAB will take place the while day.
• December 14th, 2006:
  The Africa Dialogue between the Board and the African stakeholders will take place for the whole day. The Dialogue will be opened by a remark by President of ADB and Acting Chair, UNSGAB followed by presentation of the Hashimoto Action Plan and the African Water Agenda. Discussions and exchanges with view to designing specific action will follow on the basis of the two presentations.
• December 15th, 2006:
  The discussion between ADB and UNSGAB on a statement of joint action will be held in the morning. A joint statement will be signed and released. The Board will continue with is meeting on the afternoon of same day.