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The IBNET Water Supply and
 Sanitation Performance Blue BookThe International Benchmarking Network
 for Water and Sanitation Utilities (IBNET) blue book creates
 a baseline and, at the same time, offers a global vision of
 the state of the sector in developing countries. By tracking
 progress in and quantifying and assessing the water supply
 and sanitation sectors, IBNET helps meet the goal of
 providing safe, sustainable, and affordable water and
 sanitation for all. This report serves three purposes.
 First, it aims to raise awareness of how IBNET can help
 utilities identify ways to improve urban water and
 wastewater services. Second, it provides an introduction to
 benchmarking and to IBNET's objectives, scope, focus,
 and some recent achievements. Third, it elaborates the
 methodology and data behind IBNET and presents an overview
 of IBNET results and country data. By providing comparative
 information on utilities' costs and performance, IBNET
 and this study can be used by a wide range of stakeholders,
 including: 1) utilities: to identify areas of improvement
 and set realistic targets; 2) governments: to monitor and
 adjust sector policies and programs; 3) regulators: to
 ensure that adequate incentives are provided for improved
 utility performance and that consumers obtain value
 services; 4) consumers and civil society: to express valid
 concerns; 5) international agencies and advisers: to perform
 an evaluation of utilities for lending purposes; and 6)
 private investors: to identify opportunities and viable
 markets for investments.
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Concessionary Financing Programs for the Water and Sanitation Sector in ChinaChina's water and sanitation sector
 faces challenges from rapid urbanization and
 industrialization, urban diversification, large investment
 needs, water scarcity, water pollution, and ecological
 degradation. This policy note addresses 'concessionary
 finance.' It is intended to provide a briefing for
 Chinese government officials who formulate policies for the
 water and sanitation sector. This note is not intended to
 provide recommendations on which policies to adopt, but
 rather to facilitate understanding of the policy options,
 how to choose among them, and where and how various options
 have been used in practice. Good water and sanitation
 services are essential for economic growth, public health,
 and environmental protection. However, these services can be
 difficult to finance. When utilities do not have sufficient
 capital, they under-invest and this will adversely affect
 the quality of services the utilities provide. Many
 governments run targeted concessionary financing programs as
 a method of helping utilities raise the needed capital.
 International experience has shown that well designed
 concessionary financing programs can additionally be
 employed as incentives to successfully improve utility
 efficiency, sector governance, or both. This policy note
 draws on successful case studies from concessionary finance
 programs in other countries.
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A Primer on Energy Efficiency for Municipal Water and Wastewater UtilitiesThis primer is concerned with energy use and efficiency of network-based water supply and wastewater treatment in urban areas. It focuses on the supply side of the municipal water cycle, including the extraction, treatment, and distribution of water, and collection and treatment of wastewater-activities which are directly managed by Water and Wastewater Utilities (WWUs). The main challenges to scaling up Energy Efficiency (EE) in municipal water and wastewater services stem from sector governance issues, knowledge gaps, and financing hurdles. Utility governance affects the overall performance of individual WWUs and influences decision making, incentives and actions for energy management. This is likely the most significant barrier to WWU EE in many developing countries. Addressing knowledge gaps requires efforts to systematize data collection, training, and capacity building at utilities, supported by local and national governments. Financing hurdles can be reduced by introducing dedicated EE funds to address large but disaggregated investment needs and by promoting third-party financing through energy/water savings performance contracts. This primer is part of Energy Efficient Cities Initiative's (EECI's) knowledge clearinghouse function to inform World Bank (WB) staff working in urban water supply and wastewater management, as well as in energy, about the opportunities and good practices for improving EE and reducing energy cost in municipal WWUs.