Political will drives systems change

By Marc Jaffrey , 25 July 2026
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Riva Global
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In 2024, three heads of state signed presidential compacts on water and sanitation – in Indonesia, South Sudan and Ghana. Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia and Nepal are working toward the same milestone. This is the result of years of deliberate work: building alliances, shaping global frameworks, and connecting country-level ambition to a movement that makes each government's effort stronger because of all the others.
We've been at the heart of that work – as active members of the United Nations-hosted global partnership Sanitation and Water for All (SWA), as contributors to the Heads of State Initiatives (HoSI) strategy and framework, and as trusted advisors in country when moments of political commitment were being made.

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Heads of State event, Ghana 2022
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In 2024, three heads of state signed presidential compacts on water and sanitation – in Indonesia, South Sudan and Ghana. Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia and Nepal are working toward the same milestone. This is the result of years of deliberate work: building alliances, shaping global frameworks, and connecting country-level ambition to a movement that makes each government's effort stronger because of all the others.
We've been at the heart of that work – as active members of the United Nations-hosted global partnership Sanitation and Water for All (SWA), as contributors to the Heads of State Initiatives (HoSI) strategy and framework, and as trusted advisors in country when moments of political commitment were being made.
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The HoSI movement took years of coalition-building before any president signed anything. Through SWA, we helped develop the country briefs prepared for Sector Ministers Meetings – documents that, in several cases, first ignited government interest. Indonesia's presidential decree built directly on the country's engagement in hosting the SWA Sector Ministers Meeting in Jakarta in 2022.

At the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York, our colleagues were in the room when five UN member states committed to developing compacts. At the All Systems Connect event that we organised in The Hague in 2023, we helped convene the high-level breakfast where Malawi's Minister met her Ghanaian counterpart for the first time. This was a peer connection that would accelerate Malawi's entire compact process. We also contributed to shaping the TIDE framework (Triggering–Incubation–Delivery–Evaluation), that now guides national processes globally. 

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These moments of cross-country connection – and the credibility that comes from being consistently present in global forums – are what our country teams draw on when they sit across the table from a minister. Being connected, convened and supported through a global secretariat has an important role in making these moments happen. 

Signing is the start. Implementation – sustained across budget cycles and changes of government – is the harder challenge. But these compacts are designed for durability. And our global role means the lessons from Ghana and South Sudan are already informing what Uganda and Nepal are building. That flow of learning across countries is what makes this a movement, not just a collection of individual initiatives.

Is your country ready to put water and sanitation at the centre of national development? 

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Heads of State event, UN Water Week 2023
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These moments of cross-country connection – and the credibility that comes from being consistently present in global forums – are what our country teams draw on when they sit across the table from a minister. Being connected, convened and supported through a global secretariat has an important role in making these moments happen.
Signing is the start. Implementation – sustained across budget cycles and changes of government – is the harder challenge. But these compacts are designed for durability. And our global role means the lessons from Ghana and South Sudan are already informing what Uganda and Nepal are building. That flow of learning across countries is what makes this a movement, not just a collection of individual initiatives.

Is your country ready to put water and sanitation at the centre of national development?
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Systems leadership
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When heads of state lead, water and sanitation progress accelerates
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Political will drives systems change
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