The programme contributes to better health, nutrition and education, especially for poorer households and communities, and for women and girls in particular, with the aim to end the preventable deaths of mothers, young children and infants (EPD). The programme's focus on systems aims to enhance the sustainability of WASH services; ensures that women are empowered to take informed decisions about the services they receive; and attracts new public and private finance to accelerate progress towards SDG 6 WASH targets – including universal access to safely managed WASH services.
Up to six priority countries were selected from a group of sixteen. This included eleven designated flagships that form the core of the the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) approach to ending the preventable deaths (EPD) of mothers, young children and infants and five countries where investment in WASH systems are complementing existing programmes. Intervention countries underwent a comprehensive needs assessments and were prioritised considering the national context – taking into account political demand, willingness and ability to drive a process of reform and complementarity to existing WASH and other programmes. This selection process was critical to ensure maximum impact and value for money and lasted up to 12 months (Phase I). Implementation is now taking place over the following four years (Phase II), ensuring there is sufficient time to embed change. The programme's influence extends well beyond six priority countries. It is designed to help the WASH sector shift from infrastructure delivery with limited reliability to reinforcing the core systems needed to establish inclusive, sustainable and resilient services.
Alongside implementation of the programme, a research and learning agenda on WASH systems strengthening has been established to ensure lessons learnt are captured and widely communicated from the programme to the global WASH sector. There is also a Global WASH Systems Support Hub available which responds to demand from ODA-eligible governments for advice and support on WASH systems strengthening.
IRC leads a consortium of partners, made up of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and University of Leeds, to establish the WASH Systems For Health Facility, which manages and coordinates the strategic delivery of the programme. The Facility conducts initial assessments in 16 countries, with follow-up assessments in six countries following a prioritisation exercise during Phase I; develops a results framework (progress of WASH systems strengthening efforts will be monitored and evaluated throughout Phase II as part of monitoring, evaluation and learning or MEL); establishes a research and learning agenda for WASH systems strengthening; and provides a Global WASH Systems Support Hub. The hub is operational throughout Phase II, enables governments in ODA-eligible countries to receive tailored advice and support on WASH systems strengthening.
Based on established mechanisms, the WASH Systems Hub offers two types of service – a help desk, to respond rapidly to specific requests for information and advice, and a call-down service for more substantial pieces of work typically requiring a site visit or face-to-face meetings. Work can be allocated to appropriate in-house experts, supplemented by external consultants (which can be national or international, depending on the requirement) and can be commissioned from any ODA-eligible government or FCDO post.
Supporting documentation: Read the WASH Systems for Health: Business Case, FCDO, 23 Jan 2023
Official project pages: FCDO Development Tracker | UN SDG Actions Platform