Working Together to Pave the Way Forward in WASH

Welcome to the WASH Digest, where we highlight significant achievements and new developments in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector. This edition includes:

• The renewal of our Make a Splash! partnership with UNICEF
• Key outcomes of the 10th World Water Forum
• A helpful resource for more inclusive WASH programs

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Renewing our Make a Splash! Partnership with UNICEF

As we mark five years of transformative impact through the Make a Splash! partnership with UNICEF, we are excited to announce the renewal of our collaboration for another three years.

Make a Splash! stands as UNICEF's largest shared-value partnership for water, sanitation, and hygiene, committed to achieving SDG 6: ensuring clean water and safe sanitation for all.

Since we began working together, the MaS! partnership has:

👧 Reached 12.7 million people in six countries with access to safe sanitation and hygiene.

🚿 Empowered governments to train over 738,000 stakeholders worldwide in sanitation improvements.

🌍 Directed over $2 million from government budgets and facilitated nearly $6 million in loans, supporting activities such as stipends for community health promoters in Kenya.

But our impact goes beyond numbers; it's about stories of enhanced dignity and improved health. We've enabled government health workers to spread knowledge on safe sanitation practices, upskilled masons, and increased the availability of hygiene products through our SATO brand. This partnership has also drawn significant government and private sector investment, furthering our mission.

The insights and lessons learned are encapsulated in a comprehensive five-year learnings report, unveiled at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali. This report serves as a blueprint for the future, guiding our next three-year mission to expand our reach and deepen our impact.

Speaking at the World Water Forum, Erin McCusker, Leader of LIXIL Public Partners and SATO, shared, “It’s my pleasure to announce today that we are extending this fruitful collaboration for three more years. We will continue to improve lives and strengthen sanitation and hygiene markets across five key dimensions: supply, demand, financing, enabling environment, and sales.”

With this renewed partnership, LIXIL reaffirms its commitment to market-based strategies that deliver essential sanitation and hygiene solutions where they are needed most.

Learn more about LIXIL’s strategy to tackle global sanitation and hygiene challenges here.

Key Outcomes from the 10th World Water Forum

The 10th World Water Forum, held in Bali from May 18-25, 2024, concluded with landmark achievements promising to advance global water management. Over 64,000 participants and visitors from 160 countries took part. Central to the forum's success was the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration on "Water for Shared Prosperity," committing nations to accelerating safe drinking water and sanitation services, enhancing integrated water resource management, and fostering international cooperation. 

The forum's theme emphasized inclusive and innovative solutions to global water challenges, crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The Ministerial Declaration highlighted several key commitments: ensuring equitable access to water and sanitation, promoting sustainable water management practices, enhancing capacity-building in developing countries, and strengthening transboundary water cooperation. These commitments aim to create a unified approach to addressing water security and resilience against climate change.

Key signatories of the declaration included ministers and high-level representatives from 106 countries and 27 international organizations.

The forum also produced a Compendium of Concrete Deliverables and Actions, listing 113 projects worth $9.4 billion, covering various water and sanitation aspects, including establishing Centers of Excellence, sustainable lake management, and integrated water management systems.

UNESCO's contributions emphasized transboundary water cooperation, improved data collection, and increased education and awareness. The forum stressed addressing climate change impacts through sustainable water management practices. The 10th World Water Forum marks a new milestone in global water initiatives, reinforcing the importance of international cooperation. As President Joko Widodo aptly put it, "Together, we can ensure that water becomes a source of shared prosperity for all."

For more details, visit the 10th World Water Forum's official site, including daily highlights.

The 11th World Water Forum will be hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the theme "Action for a Better Tomorrow".

 A Helpful Resource for More Inclusive WASH Programs

The recently published learning brief "Our Resilience Builds Community Resilience" by Water for Women is a valuable resource for WASH professionals. It explores transformative approaches for including sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) in climate-resilient WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) initiatives, offering key insights and practical strategies.

Key learnings include:

1. Unique Vulnerabilities of SGMs: SGMs face both personal and structural challenges that restrict their access to WASH services and heighten their vulnerability to climate change. These include discrimination, safety issues in accessing public facilities, and exclusion from decision-making processes.
2. Transformative and Strengths-Based Approaches: Enhancing climate-resilient WASH services for SGMs is best achieved through approaches that view SGMs not merely as beneficiaries but as active participants. This involves engaging SGMs in the design and implementation of WASH initiatives, ensuring their specific needs and experiences are addressed.
3. Collaborative and Reciprocal Learning: Effective engagement with SGMs requires mutual learning and capacity building. Development actors must enhance their understanding of SGM issues, while also supporting SGM organizations to build their knowledge of WASH and climate resilience.
4. Addressing Broader Structural Inequalities: Sustainable and impactful WASH programming should address the broader structural dynamics and inequalities that affect SGMs. This can include creating new livelihood opportunities linked to WASH activities and fostering ongoing engagement between SGMs and governance structures.

This report is a valuable resource for WASH professionals seeking to make their programs more inclusive and resilient to climate change. By adopting these transformative approaches, WASH initiatives can better serve all community members, including those from marginalized groups. For more details, visit the Water for Women's website.

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