Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)
What is it and what has it achieved so far?
Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) is a partnership of governments, donors, civil society and multilateral
organizations. Its aim is to ensure that all people have access to basic sanitation and safe drinking water. It
is particularly concerned with those countries where the needs are greatest.
For too long, sanitation and water supply have suffered from a lack of attention and a lack of progress that
became a downward spiral. Sanitation and Water for All aims to turn this situation around – creating a
virtuous cycle that has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of billions.
Real achievements
Eighteen months after the first global SWA High Level Meeting at the World Bank in April 2010, where
Finance and sector Ministers from developing countries met with donors to discuss sanitation and water:
 Nine developing countries have confirmed that they are meeting the commitments of increased
budget allocations made at the meeting.
 Seven donors have met or exceeded the targets they set for funding.
 The evidence on which to base good decisions is being strengthened by improved monitoring in
seven developing countries and data about funding flows from eight more donors.
 Nine countries report improved coordination and accountability among different institutions and
six donors have increased alignment with national planning processes.
SWA is not the only reason why progress is being made – but it is an important contributor.
SWA partners have also mobilized support to countries most in need.
 A joint mission resulted in The Liberia Compact – a substantive plan to improve sanitation and
water that has support from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, calls for the development of a detailed
investment plan and streamlines administrative systems. It facilitates better use of available funds,
and presents a solid case for increased funding.
Economic impact
Poor sanitation costs developing countries between 3 and 7% of GDP each year. Ensuring that all people
have access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a smart way of addressing a range of health and
development problems. Studies have shown that every dollar invested in improved sanitation yields a
return on investment of US$9.00.
SWA provides a framework for action at global level that ensures greater effectiveness of funding – a plus
for both donors and recipients. SWA is making the financing of water and sanitation more sustainable and
more effective, yielding greater value for money and saving lives in the process.
What next?
The second SWA High Level Meeting will be held in Washington D.C. on 20 April 2012 the day before the
World Bank Spring meetings.
Ministers of Finance from countries most in need of improved sanitation and hygiene are invited to
participate in the meeting. A thorough preparatory process involves analysis of data, consultation with
stakeholders from a range of sectors, and development of commitments to bring to the meeting.
Donors are also preparing to attend, working together to develop an approach that maximizes return on
investment.
Countries interested in attending the High Level Meeting and wishing to start preparations should contact Cindy
Kushner at the SWA Secretariat ckushner@unicef.org. For more information, see www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 1
The SWA Framework
The Sanitation and Water for All partnership aims to address critical barriers to achieving universal and
sustainable sanitation and drinking water. These barriers include insufficient political prioritisation, weak
sector capacity to develop and implement effective plans and strategies, and uncoordinated and
inadequate investments in these plans and strategies. Sanitation and Water for All aims to provide a
common vision and a set of values and principles for a transparent, accountable and results-oriented
framework for action to address the obstacles to global progress.
The partnership is based on mutual trust, support, and commitment to principles of aid effectiveness,
including national ownership of plans. Together, the Sanitation and Water for All partners will work to:

INCREASE POLITICAL PRIORITISATION for sustainable access to sanitation and drinking water
through activities such as high level events that review progress, catalyse coordinated action, and
focus on the impacts of access to sanitation and drinking on economic growth and human
development.

PROMOTE EVIDENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING on sanitation and drinking water by compiling,
analysing and promoting information about what works to scale up sustainable delivery of services.
Sanitation and Water for All will also enhance regional and bi-lateral collaboration between
partners and support global and regional assessments on issues such as investment flows,
coverage and institutional capacity.

SUPPORT STRONG NATIONAL PROCESSES that align with agreed benchmarks for the development
and implementation of sustainable sanitation and drinking water services. Sanitation and Water
for All will mobilise catalytic funding and provide specific technical assistance to the most off-track
countries, where this is not available through existing mechanisms.
By strengthening political prioritisation, evidence-based planning and national processes, Sanitation
and Water for All aims to:

INCREASE THE IMPACT OF RESOURCES as a result of generating high level support for improved
targeting and effectiveness of existing and additional resources, with a focus on marginalised
populations and countries that are most off-track to meet the MDG targets related to sanitation
and water.

STRENGTHEN MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY as a result of building political will, supporting strong
national processes, and creating a high-level dialogue on sustainable access to sanitation and
drinking water for all.
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 2
2012 SWA High Level Meeting (HLM)
The Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) High Level Meeting, held every two years, brings together Ministers
of Finance from developing countries, Ministers of Development Cooperation from donor countries and
high-level representatives from development banks and other donor institutions to address the lack of
priority given to sanitation and water as a development intervention, the poor targeting of aid in the
sector, and the need for robust planning and institutions. The second SWA High Level Meeting will take
place on 20 April 2012, on the Friday afternoon before the weekend World Bank Spring Meetings in
Washington DC.
Theme of the Meeting: Economic Gains from Sanitation and Water
The Meeting will focus on the significant gains that can be made from investing in sanitation and water and
the costs of failing to invest. Research on the economics of sanitation and water indicates that no other
single intervention brings greater public health returns; that the annual economic impact of poor
sanitation is more than 5-6% of GDP in some countries; and that meeting the Millennium Development
Target in sanitation would add 300 billion working days a year globally.
Attendees
Donors and developing countries, represented by the Minister of Finance, will attend the High Level
Meeting. Country invitees will include 2010 Meeting attendees; the current 34 SWA Partner countries;
fragile, post-conflict, Least Developed or Low Income Countries that are off-track to reach MDG targets in
water or sanitation and which have not yet joined SWA; and selected politically-influential middle-income
countries with large numbers of unserved people. Participation and significant political engagement from
major donors will be among incentives for high level attendance. UN and civil society representatives will
also be present.
Expected Results
Participants in the HLM will table specific commitments to improve access to sanitation and drinking water.
Commitments will include: increasing political prioritization, for instance increases in allocations for the
sector and ensuring clear institutional responsibilities; improving targeting of funds, through focused
policies and more funding for basic services for unserved people; improving evidence for better decisionmaking, such as improved sector monitoring and transparency; and strengthening of planning and human
resources capacity, including better sector coordination, alignment with national planning and capacity
building.
Preparatory Process
The HLM preparatory processes for donors will focus on achieving top level participation and support, and
furthering donor harmonization and alignment with country-led processes. Key issues include targeting of
aid to basic services, support for development of evidence, and implementation of aid effectiveness
principles.
Fifty to sixty developing countries will conduct High Level Meeting preparatory processes. The main
elements of these preparatory processes will be multi-stakeholder consultations (with civil society as a key
partner); review of existing commitments, resource allocation and institutional systems; development of
action points; agreements with Ministers of Finance on their participation and statements, and drafting of
specific commitments.
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 3
The
preparatory
processes
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
will
be
supported
Briefing Pack
by
the
SWA
Secretariat.
September 2011 Page 4
Progress on the 2010
SWA HLM Commitments
Overview
Following the successful 2010 Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) High Level Meeting, at which participants
tabled specific commitments and agreed to report regularly to the SWA Secretariat on progress, the
question on everyone’s mind is ‘What has happened since the High Level Meeting (HLM)?’ This note
summarizes participants’ responses to that question.1
The participants who reported on the status of their commitments were responsible for 203 of the 239
commitments made at the HLM. The developing country respondents told the Secretariat that by
September 2011, two-thirds of all the commitments they had made were fulfilled or progressing well;
donors reported this was the case for 90% of their commitments.
Participants reported that the HLM dialogue was influential in terms of progress in meeting their
commitments, although more so for developing countries than for donors. Developing countries noted
that, for almost half of commitments, progress was achieved either as a direct result of the HLM dialogue
or was strongly influenced by it. However, the reported influence of the HLM on donor progress was lower:
only one in ten commitments was achieved, or progress strongly influenced, as a result of the HLM
dialogue.
The HLM was reported to have influenced sector progress and catalyzed action at country level. In
particular, participants noted that the HLM:




strengthened relations between WASH sector Ministries and Finance Ministries,
triggered stronger sector coordination in many countries,
created a crucial context for advocacy on sanitation and encouraged political and financial
decision-makers to use evidence for better decision-making, and
raised awareness about sanitation within sector and Finance Ministries.
The following provides a broad overview of progress of commitments in key areas. The full Progress Report
is available at www.sanitationandwaterforall.org.
Progress on Key Topics
Budget Allocations
 Nine countries reported good progress on commitments to increase domestic spending.
(Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Nepal, Senegal, Timor-Leste, Zimbabwe) Eight
countries reported delayed or no progress. (Angola, Bangladesh, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana,
Mauritania, Sudan, Senegal)
1
The Progress Report, prepared by the SWA Secretariat, is based on responses from 15 of 19 developing countries
and 9 of 13 donor institutions that participated in the High Level Meeting.
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 5

Seven donors reported that they met or exceeded WASH sector target commitments. (African
Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Commission, Germany, Switzerland, the
Netherlands, United Kingdom)
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 6
Progress on HLM Commitments (continued)
Targeting of Funds
 Three countries reported making good progress in better targeting unserved people. (Mauritania,
Senegal, Timor Leste) Four countries reported slow progress in improving targeting. (Angola,
Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mongolia)
 Seven donors reported good progress in targeting the unserved. (African Development Bank, Asian
Development Bank, European Commission, Gates Foundation, Germany, Switzerland, United
Kingdom)
Evidence-based Decision-making
 Seven countries reported good progress in commitments to set up monitoring and information
systems. (Angola, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Liberia, Mauritania)
 Eight donors are implementing commitments to participate in future UN-Water Global Analysis
and Assessment on Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) surveys. (African Development Bank,
Asian Development Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, France, Germany, the Netherlands,
Switzerland, United Kingdom)
Coordination
 Nine countries reported making good progress to improve sector coordination. (Angola,
Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Liberia, Mauritania, Senegal, Sudan, Zimbabwe)
 Five countries reported that Ministry of Finance representatives have been actively participating in
the WASH sector and sector meetings since the High Level Meeting. (Ghana, Liberia, Sudan, Timor
Leste, Zimbabwe)
 Six donors reported that they have aligned operations with national planning processes. (African
Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Commission, Germany, Switzerland, the
Netherlands)
National Plans and Processes
 Ten countries reported good progress in developing or strengthening actionable national plans.
(Angola, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania, Senegal, Timor-Leste,
Zimbabwe) Three countries have experienced delays in this area.
 Eight countries reported that capacity development in the WASH sector is moving forward well.
(Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritania, Mongolia, Senegal, Timor-Leste)
 Six donors responded that they are progressing well on commitments to provide technical
assistance to strengthen national plans and planning frameworks. (African Development Bank,
Asian Development Bank, European Commission, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands)
Sanitation
 Eight countries indicated that the sanitation-specific commitments that are progressing well were
significantly influenced by the High Level Meeting dialogue. (Angola, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia,
Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania, Nepal, Senegal)
 Five countries reported good progress in improving sanitation policies, decentralized sanitation
services, and sanitation awareness. (Bangladesh, Liberia, Mauritania, Senegal, Timor-Leste)
 Four donors reported that they have completed or are progressing well on commitments of
specified allocations for sanitation. (African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank,
Germany, Switzerland)
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 7
Key Findings and Recommendations:
2010 UN-Water GLAAS
The UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) analyses the
challenges in accelerating and sustaining progress to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG)
Target for sanitation and drinking-water. It draws on information from a questionnaire-based survey sent
to governments and donors, and data from other sources such as OECD.
The 2010 GLAAS is intended for senior decision-makers in developing countries and donor institutions. The
Report examines the use of sanitation and drinking-water services, government policies and institutions,
investments of financial and human resources, foreign assistance, and the influence of these factors on
sector performance.2
Based in its findings, the Report makes four main recommendations:
Demonstrate greater political commitment
It has been shown that investing in sanitation and drinking-water brings huge economic returns, averaging
2% of GDP and increasing to 7% in some country contexts according to World Bank estimates. However,
respondents to the GLAAS survey consider Government allocations to sanitation and drinking-water
inadequate to meet the MDG target and, in most cases, allocations are well below national and regional
targets. And while donor aid for sanitation and drinking-water is increasing in absolute terms, its share of
development aid has markedly decreased from 8% in 1997 to 5% in 2008, despite its relevance to nearly all
MDGs (see Figure 1).
Target Resources Better
Domestic and donor resources are not necessarily well-targeted to those who need it most: the poor and
unserved populations. Middle Income Countries receive a significantly larger share of sector aid than Low
Income Countries and Least Developed Countries (see Figure 2). Further, aid flows for basic water and
sanitation systems - which tend to meet the needs of the unserved - have remained constant, while aid for
large systems has increased. Generally, few countries who responded could report that they have
developed criteria for targeting resources for unserved populations, especially for sanitation.
Strengthen National and Sub-national Systems
Trends are positive in policy formulation and implementation, but about one third of responding countries
have no sanitation policy covering both urban and rural areas. Defining the role and responsibility of sector
institutions is a challenge, however, in both sanitation and drinking-water (see Figure 3), and lack of
reliable data, especially at sub-national and local levels is the most commonly cited reason for failure to
implement investment plans. While national plans or annual reviews of sanitation and drinking-water tend
to address human resources, inadequate budgets to hire and retain staff are cited as the main factor
affecting human resources in rural sanitation and drinking-water.
Work in Partnership
While donor coordination and harmonization is increasing – an essential requirement as the majority of
responding countries receive aid from 10 or more donors – procedures to promote local stakeholder
participation are weak, and stakeholder participation in planning, budgeting and implementing
programmes in drinking-water and especially sanitation remains a challenge (see Figure 4).
2
The 2010 GLAAS Report is based on responses from 42 developing countries and 27 donors.
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 8
The GLAAS Report is a UN-Water initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO). The full report can
be downloaded at http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/glaas/en/. The 2012 GLAAS Report will be
released in April 2012.
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 9
2010 UN-Water GLAAS (continued)
* All data and graphs are from the 2010 UN-Water GLAAS Report
Fig. 1: Aid for health and education has outpaced aid for WASH
Fig. 2: The ten highest annual aid recipients per capita unserved include only one Least Developed Country
Fig. 3: Institutional roles should be better defined and operationalized
Fig. 4: Procedures to promote local stakeholder participation are a challenge
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 10
The Liberia Compact
Closing of the Joint Mission: (l to r) H.E. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador to Liberia; Senator Roland Kaine, Chairman of the
Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Economic Affairs, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; Hon. Amara M. Konneh, Minister of
Planning and Economic Affairs; Hon. Roosevelt Jayjay, Minister of Lands, Mines, and Energy; and Hon. Walter T. Gwenigale, Minister
of Health & Social Welfare (Photo: Liberia WASH Consortium/Arwen Kidd)
In late 2010, following successful participation at the first SWA High Level Meeting (HLM), the Government
of Liberia actively engaged SWA Partners to mobilize resources in support of Liberia’s WASH sector. In
April 2011, the Partnership undertook to support national-level water and sanitation planning in Liberia
with a joint Partner Mission, led by Liberia. In a country where improved water and sanitation coverage is
estimated to be only 68% and 17% respectively, the Mission and the resulting WASH Compact are seen as
critical steps in delivering sustainable and equitable access to these basic services.
The SWA Joint Mission to Liberia
The Joint Mission took place from 27 April to 3 May 2011 in Monrovia, setting in motion a process to
strengthen planning and multi-ministerial/multi-donor harmonisation and coordination. The Joint Mission
took place under the leadership and ownership of the Government of Liberia including support from and
attendance by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and several ministers. The Mission engaged Liberia-based
and external SWA Partners, including the Government of Ghana, the Dutch development agency (DGIS),
African Development Bank, civil society partners, WaterAid, the World Bank Water and Sanitation Program
(WSP), UNICEF and UNDP, as well as USAID.
Mission Outcomes
The Mission produced a two-year Compact formalising an agreement between the ministries,
development partners and civil society organisations, setting out actions in the key areas of institutional
reform, service provision, sector monitoring and financing. The Mission demonstrated how international
support can be translated into national-level action – increasing local ownership, improving coordination,
and importantly – making the WASH sector more ‘investment ready’ to both finance ministries and
development partners, by strengthening the absorptive and managerial capacity of the sector.
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 11
The Liberia Compact (Continued)
A preliminary evaluation of the Mission showed a strong consensus that the Mission had been a success,
with significant value added by the SWA Partnership as an umbrella to coordinate Partner efforts. Key
stakeholders maintain that the accelerated progress would not have been achieved without SWA Partners’
presence and engagement.
Key achievements as a result of SWA Partners’ engagement:
 A road map for institutional reforms to improve local coordination.
 Access to the global Partners strengthened prioritization of WASH by national-level partners.
 Increased access to the expertise of high level international partners.
 Extensive participation by local and international civil society organisations, as well as the media.
 South-south support delivered, with the engagement of representatives from the Government of
Ghana in the Mission.
 Strengthened accountability, both in terms of local partners’ participation and strengthened
working relationships; and in terms of senior politicians’ engagement and follow up on previous
commitments to prioritize the sector.
The Mission and the Compact have helped deliver on the principles of the SWA Partnership through:

Prioritisation of the most off-track countries: Liberia has begun a long process of post-conflict
reconstruction, achieving impressive political stability. Nevertheless, significant population groups,
especially in rural areas, remain unreached by basic services such as water, and especially
sanitation. As such, Liberia is a key priority country for the Partnership.

Mutual Accountability: The Liberia WASH Compact brings together partners from all sides of the
Liberian WASH sector under one framework of commitments. Compact parties now have a clear
point of reference by which they can hold each other to account. The Compact’s accountability
framework is supported by the forthcoming HLM in April 2012, in which progress on previous
commitments will be reviewed.

Nationally-driven sector development: The Mission and Compact processes were fully owned and
led by the Government of Liberia. The Compact components reflect nationally-defined priorities and
build on existing policy and planning processes.

Cooperation and transparency: The Mission assisted in identifying key barriers to WASH access, as
well as gaps in institutional structures and information, and facilitated agreement on areas of
cooperation – among government institutions and between government, development partners
and civil society. The Compact also catalysed the finalisation of a Strategic Sector Plan, and the
agreement to undertake regular, multi-stakeholder sector reviews.

Support for existing initiatives: The Joint Mission complemented existing sector processes and
development partner approaches, such as the ongoing WSP-assisted water point mapping process,
as well as various development partner programmes in Liberia.

Political prioritisation: On its final day, the Mission was attended and endorsed by the President of
Liberia and five Ministers, as well as other high-ranking officials. This high-level political presence
demonstrated the ownership of the Liberian Government of the process, as well as its commitment
to tackle the national water and sanitation crisis.
SWA is developing a mechanism, called the National Planning for Results Initiative (NPRI), by which
countries seeking to strengthen their national WASH planning or Sector Wide Approaches processes will be
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 12
supported. The SWA Steering Committee is currently reviewing requests for NPRI support from other SWA
SWA National Planning for
Results Initiative (NPRI)
Partner countries.
Many countries are off-track to reach the internationally agreed goals on water and sanitation, in part,
because they lack strong plans and planning processes to effectively direct and coordinate sector activities.
According to the 2010 GLAAS survey, of the 42 reporting developing countries, twelve reported no urban
or rural sanitation policies, ten countries reported poorly defined institutional roles in the water and
sanitation sector, and seventeen countries reported no processes in place for local stakeholder
participation. In the past many donor efforts at supporting national planning (e.g., those of the EU Water
Initiative) have identified the need for effective sector planning and coordination to be country-driven,
rather than a product of donor initiatives. The Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership, including 32
off-track country partners3, has stressed the importance of country-led processes for developing and
strengthening national plans and strategies in its work on aid effectiveness in the sector.
In order to respond to the bottlenecks in identified in country planning processes, Sanitation and Water for
All has launched an initiative called the National Planning For Results Initiative (NPRI). The NPRI will
complement existing initiatives and will a) provide tools and guidance on results-oriented WASH sector
planning and b) match demand from countries committed to meet internationally agreed goals on
sanitation and water supply (“NPRI countries”)4 with donor (“NPRI donors”) resources to achieve four key
objectives:
Sustain political will to own and drive national plans and planning processes. With adequate political
will, plans and planning processes will achieve the desired impact. To secure political leadership to sustain
long-term, inclusive planning processes, NPRI will help deliver evidence-based messages to political leaders
and decision makers about a) the value of investing in water supply, sanitation and hygiene, b) the need to
support sector plans and planning processes, and c) the link to national development plans.
Support a consultative and sustainable planning process. National planning requires an iterative process
of assessment, consultation, decision-making, strategizing, implementation, monitoring and adjustment.
Strongly performing countries have well-established mechanisms for multi-stakeholder dialogue and
review that help build confidence and trust between governments and cooperating partners. NPRI will, as
possible, help facilitate and coordinate country-led planning processes and build core capacities to sustain
the planning process, in NPRI countries.
Develop clear, actionable, and accountable plans. An effective plan will include analysis of sector needs
and challenges, sector objectives, clear legal and institutional arrangements, and agreed monitoring
performance frameworks. NPRI countries will commit to developing sector plans and capacities and ensure
domestic resources are available, while NPRI donors, along with development partners, will provide
technical assistance, including seed funding, to lead and improve sector planning processes.
Strengthen linkages between plans and large scale finance. Achieving sanitation and water for all will
ultimately require additional resources from domestic and, in some cases, external sources. NPRI support
for developing and strengthening national plans and sector capacity is expected to enhance the ability of
the sector to effectively attract and spend funds. NPRI will advocate and support the acceleration of the
3
4
According to the 2010 WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme on Water and Sanitation (JMP)
A process will be developed by NPRI for identifying countries to participate in NPRI.
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 13
preparation of projects, funded by International Finance Institutions and bilateral donors, that support and
are aligned to national plans.
Concrete examples of NPRI processes are the recent development of WASH Compacts in Ghana and
Liberia.
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Briefing Pack
September 2011 Page 14