The Message from the President of the Portuguese Water Partnership – A project for the internationalization of the Portuguese water sector
Portugal has a diverse and mature set of private and public institutions dedicated to water. Some already enjoy recognition and prestige among global markets. Others have the potential to achieve that in the future. This was the starting point to create a Portuguese Water Partnership (PWP) that aims to develop synergies and maximize the potential.
Portugal has long been a country open to the world. It is no exaggeration to say that the word “globalization” was written for the first time in Portuguese, in the sixteenth century. We have always had the capacity and motivation to deal with people from all continents, regardless of their traditions, cultures and beliefs.
This is also the approach that the issue of water demands in today’s societies: a clear understanding that we face the same problems, even though the approaches have been shaped differently by the history and the culture of each nation. Different approaches, yet always aimed at the same objective: to provide water for all uses, in a sustainable manner, equitable and socially just, at a suitable price.
The PWP intends to bring together the efforts of the four essential components of the water sector: companies, ranging from design to management, including equipment suppliers and construction contractors; universities and research centers, where the knowledge that is at the basis of the value chain is generated and transmitted; professional associations, that have been contributing to consolidate and give identity to the sector and public administration institutions that are part of the “Portuguese model” or play a key role in its internationalization.
The PWP was formally created as an association on April 29, 2011 and its bodies were elected on June 28, 2011 and took office on July 7, 2011.
I would like to invite you all to join the PWP and add strength to this initiative for the internationalization of the Portuguese water sector.
José Saldanha Matos
President of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Water Partnership
