Harare, May 2, 2008 - GOVERNMENT has signed an agreement with three organisations to mobilise financial resources to improve sanitation in Zimbabwe to meet the 2015 Millennium Development Goals Sanitation targets.

Permanent Secretaries of the Ministries of Health and Child Welfare, Water Resources and Infrastructure Development, Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development, Finance, Economic Development and representatives of Unicef, Worldwide Fund for Nature and the Institute of Water and Sanitation Development signed the agreement in Harare on Wednesday.

Permanent Secretary for Economic Development Mrs Judith Kateera said by signing the agreement, Government and the organisations undertook to resuscitate water and sanitation institutions at all

levels, including water and sanitation sub-committees at national, provincial, district and sub-district levels.

She said the agreement was aimed at creating a supportive national policy framework and sustained enabling institutional arrangements.

"We also undertook to make capacity development at all levels an essential and central objective to national development for which adequate resources need to be provided in a sustainable manner," she said.

She said Zimbabwe had made tremendous progress towards meeting the objective of safe drinking water supply and sanitation in response to the United Nations-declared MDGs.

Mrs Kateera said Government supported the drilling of boreholes, deep wells, latrines and other community activities.

"As part of these programmes, Government subsidised latrine construction by training builders, providing cement, mesh wire and also training communities through participatory health and hygiene education.

"Budget allocation has increased from $285 million in 2006 to $52,54 billion in 2008," she said.

The agreement will also see Government provide financial incentives, including tax rebates, to encourage private sector participation.