For World Water Day, we asked an expert group of WASH professionals to share their honest assessments of the current water, sanitation, and hygiene, or WASH, climate, the problems facing the sector, and advice for professionals looking to ‘Leverage Water for Peace’.
“Last year, at the UN Climate Conference (COP 28), the international community agreed on a framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA.) Water is essential for climate adaptation and we were thrilled to see it included as the first thematic goal. The sector now needs to come together to propose metrics to track progress — this is a key step to hold all to account,” said Catarina de Albuquerque, CEO at Sanitation and Water for All.
In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing career advice for aspiring WASH professionals. Plus, featured job postings in the water and sanitation space from the likes of the International Water Management Institute, UNICEF, and more.
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Top jobs this week
1. Manager – Resource Mobilization and Partnerships
International Water Management Institute
Worldwide | Ethiopia | Kenya | Ghana | South Africa
2. Multiple Positions for Action Against Plastic Pollution (VnAAPP) Activity
Chemonics International Inc.
Vietnam
3. Communications Specialist for USAID Non-Revenue Water Management Project
Tetra Tech
West Bank
4. Individual Consultant: Advocacy for Safely Managed Sanitation
UNICEF
Senegal
What’s happening in WASH
WASH professionals highlighted what is happening in the sector, and what needs to be done at a global level:
What’s next after COP 28
“Last year, at the UN Climate Conference (COP 28), the international community agreed on a framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). Water is essential for climate adaptation and we were thrilled to see it included as the first thematic goal. The sector now needs to come together to propose metrics to track progress — this is a key step to hold all to account. Water stakeholders also need to integrate the GGA water target into national water and sanitation strategies. That includes raising awareness of this framework with governments and other implementors at national and subnational levels,” said Catarina de Albuquerque, CEO at Sanitation and Water for All.
Cross-border water cooperation for peace
“WASH professionals can play a major role in this debate by enhancing their understanding of policy dynamics and taking part in each stage of these processes. Developing and investing in advocacy and communication skills is more than essential for influencing policies that support sustainable WASH practices, especially if you consider that 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders and most of them are not familiar with international water governance frameworks, cooperation agreements, and hydropolitics debate,” said Isabela Espíndola, Senior Officer at the International Water Association, or IWA, and editor of the book “New Perspectives on Transboundary Water Governance.”
Leading with WASH
“When leaders at the highest level decide that water and sanitation are top priorities, we see that systems are strengthened, money is found, and access numbers go up. Consider India’s Swachh Bharat campaign, an initiative of the prime minister for India to become open defecation free. Sanitation coverage increased from 39 percent to 98 percent. Nigeria has similarly issued an executive order signed by the President in 2023 to end open defecation,” said Catarina de Albuquerque.
Read: How to build career expertise in water, sanitation, and hygiene (Career)
Skills for SDG 6: Achieving sustainable water and sanitation
From 2015 to 2022, the share of the global population with safe and well-handled drinking water went up from 69% to 73%, marking progress but revealing the persistent variance in coverage between regions that continue to need attention. Here are the skill sets needed for aspiring professionals to ensure that SDG 6 eventually becomes a reality:
Data literacy and analysis. Data analysis is crucial in identifying regions most needing improved WASH services. This knowledge helps governments and organizations allocate resources where they will have the most impact and establishes a basis for accountability.
Knowledge of climate change and its implications. With climate change comes an array of threats to water and sanitation systems, including more frequent and severe weather events, altered precipitation patterns, and rising temperatures. It’s not just about understanding the problem but also about knowing how to design systems that can thrive in the face of adversity, ensuring access to clean water and sanitation even as the climate evolves.
Funding and finance management. One of the primary hurdles in achieving SDG 6 boils down to finances. Securing the funding required to implement projects that yield sustainable and cost-effective results is still difficult in many countries.
Read: Skills for SDG 6: Achieving sustainable water and sanitation (Career)
Explore more: Devex’s WASH series and podcast
Members-only jobs this week
1. WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) Manager
Nonprofit humanitarian organization
Philippines
2. Water, Sanitation & Hygiene & Climate Change Coordinator
International humanitarian agency
Sierra Leone
3. Utility and Sustainability Consultant
Multidisciplinary development consultancy
Denmark
4. Director of Finance
Nongovernmental organization
United States
The shape of things to come
A look at major forces at play can help us discern plausible areas of job growth over the next decade or so. These “megatrends,” as identified in a 2022 study by Australia’s national science agency, or CSIRO, include adapting to climate change and dwindling resources, continued digitalization and increased use of artificial intelligence, disruptions spurred by geopolitical shifts, and growing demands on decision-makers to consider trust, transparency, and social governance.
Read: How 'megatrends' will shape the future of global development jobs (Career)
Around the watercooler
News and views from around global development worth knowing about.
Top-down approaches will not work to scale locally led adaptation. Practitioners are calling for changes that mirror calls for decolonization in the development sector.
White Ribbon Alliance shifts power locally. The organization is saying goodbye to its U.S. team to make room for the groups closest to the women it focuses on.
What Emerson Collective looks for in a partner. The director of Emerson Collective talks about the importance of leadership teams and organizational models.
To keep up to date with all the must-read global development coverage, be sure to sign up to the daily Devex Newswire.
Sign up to Devex Career Hub for global development’s top jobs, expert career advice, and practical tips to help you do more good for more people.
About the author
Katrina J. Lane
Katrina Lane is an Editorial Strategist and Reporter at Devex. She writes on ecologies and social inclusion, and also supports the creation of partnership content at Devex. She holds a degree in Psychology from Warwick University, offering a unique perspective on the cognitive frameworks and social factors that influence responses to global issues.
