4 ways the WASH sector can collaborate better

STOCKHOLM — The ambitious targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals may have galvanized the water and sanitation sector, but they have also made it imperative for actors in what has traditionally been a small and insular sector to break out of their silos and work together in new and innovative ways. This was one of the messages emphasized by delegates at last week’s Stockholm World Water Week in Sweden. Devex sat down with John Sauer, a WASH expert from Population Services International, at the conference to get his insights on how water actors can take up the challenge with meaningful and practical collaboration. Experts agreed that the SDGs have broadened both the scope and the challenges faced by the sector. Where the Millennium Development Goals set fairly binary targets of increasing access to clean water and sanitation, SDG 6 calls not only for universal access but for services that are equitable, quality, affordable, reliable and used efficiently. With the effects of climate change and an expanding population, water issues are likely to grow significantly in the coming years. But while delegates stressed the need for innovation and collaboration between NGOs, governments, engineers, businesses and other actors to meet the scale of the challenge, they worried about how far this would be adopted in practice. Sauer told Devex, “I think it’s fair to say that, despite lots of talk and good intentions to collaborate, the sanitation sector — with a few possible exceptions — is still figuring out how to make collaboration translate into results.” A senior WASH technical advisor for PSI’s sanitation marketing program — which works with public and private actors in developing countries to capitalize on local markets as a way of delivering low-cost toilets and other sanitation products to the poor — Sauer said that things need to change if the WASH sector is serious about meeting the SDGs. United Nations agencies and international NGOs, in particular, need to step up to the mark, he said, supported by donors. He offered Devex four insights on how this transition might be achieved. 1. Focus on the bigger picture Sauer advised “a strategy shift to … focus less on what we will achieve alone and more on how we will contribute, with local partners, to higher level results like district and city-wide sanitation service delivery.” There is “evidence that this is starting to happen,” he said, citing the recent announcement of a collaboration between the Toilet Board Coalition — a business-led public-private partnership supporting solutions in sanitation — and the governing council of the city of Pune in India, to create the world’s first “smart sanitation city.” According to a press release last week, the groups “will work together to develop smart sustainable and resilient sanitation systems, delivered through the market.” The Dutch NGO IRC Wash has also been working to bring the sector together through its Agenda for Change program, which seeks to align work already being done by WASH NGOs including WaterAid and Water for People to deliver district or commune-wide services through a “loose alliance.” Monitoring will be essential, Sauer stressed, in order “to track progress, figure out what’s working and what’s not working and move the needle,” he said, adding that he approves of IRC’s proposal to form a centralized monitoring and accountability platform to measure the success of the alliances. 2. Break down the boundaries between organizations While most WASH organizations do want to collaborate more, in reality work often remains fragmented and there is still a lot of what Sauer refers to as “reinventing the wheel.”. Part of the problem stems from the fact that “we don’t actually know what is happening within other organizations,” he said. Simple changes — such as opening up organizational annual and regional meetings to external stakeholders and partners; enabling staff exchanges; sharing office space; hiring external experts as technical advisors and consultants; and performing joint assessments and analysis activities — could help address this problem by breaking down the boundaries between organizations. These changes could “open up a different way of communication and also build trust,” Sauer said. Competition for funding within the sector exacerbates divisions between organizations, he said, suggesting that the industry could move toward a “collective fundraising model where we are raising money for the approaches and ways of working that we all believe in.” That could in turn enable these approaches to reach the “proof of concept” stage needed to “unlock right-sized and different kinds of financing” for scale-up. 3. Better engagement in communities of practice The WASH sector is home to a number of communities of practice and networks, including the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance, the AfricaSan International Task Force, and Sanitation and Water For All. However, participation can be lacklustre and often involves the same people engaging on the same topics, according to Sauer, who said “we have to keep finding ways to ensure more active participation in those networks.” One way to make this happen would be to write it into people’s job descriptions and budget for it accordingly. Furthermore, participation in the networks needs to be less general and more practical in terms of leading to and informing concrete collaborative efforts targeted at a particular geographic area. This could result in joint tracking of progress toward achieving sustained sanitation coverage, Sauer explained. 4. Change requires resources Sauer is clear that achieving points one, two and three will require organizations to allocate dedicated resources. Funding could come from internal budgets and should be written into job descriptions and key performance indicators, he said. It could also be found by repurposing existing money being spent on knowledge-sharing within WASH NGOs. “There is already money being spent on these activities; it could just be spent more wisely by making it local and measurable,” he said. The overarching message for Sauer is one of urgency. “Time is ticking on the SDGs for sanitation, and getting on track is going to require taking risks the likes [of which] many of our institutions have not yet seen,” he said. Devex delivers cutting-edge insights and analysis to the leaders shaping and innovating the business of development. Make sure you don't miss out. Become a Devex Executive Member today.