Melbourne, 30 Jun 08
UN-HABITAT on Monday announced a partnership deal with a mining company to deliver clean drinking water to residents of the Laotian town of Vilabouly as part of a the agency’s new drive to scale up water and sanitation services to those most in need.

In the agreement signed with Oxiana Mining/Lane Xang Minerals, the UN agency announced that they will collaborate in Community Based Water Supply Initiatives for Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Vilabouly Town in Savannakhet Province. During a visit to Oxiana’s Headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, last week, Mr. Andre Dzikus of UN-HABITAT, hailed the Oxiana agreement.

“Through the instrument of Corporate Social Responsibilit an expansion of our water and sanitation programme to service the poor and the needy,” he said.

Oxiana is an international mining and exploration company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. It is based in Melbourne, Australia, with a focus on Asia and Australia. In Laos, Oxiana is running its operations under its subsidiary, Lane Xang Minerals Limited.

Mr. Owen Hegarty, Managing Director of Oxiana Mining, said: “I’ve been traveling to Laos since 1998, and found that challenges faced by people are extraordinary. I find the government is very eager to alleviate the living conditions of the poor, and so this joint collaboration with UN-HABITAT and the government to provide water and sanitation to the poor is thus so promising.”

Also present was Mr. Peter Albert the Chief Executive Officer of Lane Xang Minarals (LXML), a subsidiary of Oxiana. He said clean water was paramount for good health, and so this project is extremely crucial for the overall development of Vilabouly.

Some of the activities lined up in the agreement include the provision of safe drinking water and sanitation for the urban poor, the establishment of revolving funds which would enable Vilabouly residents to borrow funds towards accessing water and sanitation services as well as awareness campaigns.

Mr. Dzikus recalled similar on-going cooperation with Coca Cola, and that of the CEO’s water group in New York.