The EU Water Operators’ Partnerships (EU-WOP) Programme - funded by the European Union and managed by the Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance/UN-Habitat - has recently awarded 15 partnerships around the world under their “Emerging Window” phase. Following a rigorous and highly competitive application process, with submission rounds in November 2025 and February 2026, “Sustainable WOP Peru” was selected as one of the 15 awarded partnerships.
Building on years of collaboriation and trust established through the Blue Deal Peru partnership, this new programme will run until 2030. The proposal was written in collaboration with First Blue – Hezelburcht Group. A full list of awarded partnerships can be found on the EU-WOP | GWOPA website.
The partnership will focus on the Peruvian northern regions of Tumbes and Piura, ecologically vulnerable areas prone to El Niño, also priority areas within the Blue Deal partnership.
Sustainable WOP Peru aims to strengthen the operational, managerial and institutional capacities of EPS Grau in Piura and Agua Tumbes. In line with UN-SDG 6 and climate resilience principles, the programme aims to improve wastewater treatment systems, enhance environmental protection and thereby contribute to public health. Taking a human rights-based approach to ensure inclusive and sustainable sanitation, the partnership will actively engage communities and vulnerable groups living in the vicinity of wastewater treatment facilities.
As in the Blue Deal, the work will be implemented through peer-to-peer technical collaboration, joint assessments, tailor-made training and experience sharing to enhance knowledge and improving the wastewater treatment process and services.
The partnership will be coordinated by Dutch water authority Noorderzijlvest, and supported by other Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) currently participating in the Blue Deal partnership. TU-Delft and OTASS Peru will contribute as knowledge and institutional partners, respectively.
Recognising the experience and work of Dutch water authorities in Blue Deal Peru, and envisioning the potential impact combined with the EU WOP Programme, the Embassy of Peru in the Netherlands acts as the strategic partner and promotor of Sustainable WOP Peru.
This marks a new and exciting experience for the Blue Deal Peru team, and they look forward to the strong synergies that this new collaboration can bring, complementing the current and future work in Peru.