Establishing mutual trust--a prerequisite to public partnership.

Establishing mutual trust is the key to establishing workable and sustainable partnerships between the public and service providers, in any part of the world. The experience of utilities in the United Kingdom and United States shows that trust is established through sharing information with the public and improving customer service. Understanding the needs of the public and the service agency are a prerequisite to establishing trust. There is no "magic formula" for the process, as it depends on the current level of knowledge, attitudes and actual practice (behavior) of both the public and the service agency. In Jordan, for example, there is awareness of environmental issues, but trust must be developed to generate public support for programs.