The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) was a United Nations-hosted organization contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 6, Target 6.2 on sanitation and hygiene. It was established in 1990 and closed at the end of 2020. WSSCC advocated for improved sanitation and hygiene, with a focus on the needs of women, girls and people in vulnerable situations. WSSCC's main areas of focus were large-scale sanitation and hygiene behaviour change programmes through the Global Sanitation Fund.
Background
WSSCC worked to address the sanitation crisis and promote universal access to sanitation in collaboration with a range of partners. The United Nations estimates that some 2.2 billion people lack basic sanitation services and 3 billion people lack access to basic handwashing facilities at home. Poor sanitation costs countries approximately $229 billion annually (in 2015). WSSCC contributed to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6, Target 6.2: "By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations."
Activities WSSCC collaborated with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, civil society groups and the private sector internationally and at the national, regional and local levels. The organization also drew public attention for sanitation and hygiene topics on international days such as World Water Day, Menstrual Hygiene Day, World Toilet Day and Global Handwashing Day.
Global Sanitation Fund Through the Global Sanitation Fund (GSF), a multi-donor United Nations trust fund, WSSCC supported national efforts to help rural communities improve their sanitation and adopt good hygiene practices. The GSF funded behaviour change activities. Community-led total sanitation was frequently utilized by GSF-funded national programmes, such as in Cambodia and Nigeria. The GSF funded national programmes in Benin, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. WSSCC's Secretariat gathered funds and donations at the global level, selected the eligible countries for funding, and managed the disbursement of grants to national sanitation programmes. In the period of 2008 to 2018, the Global Sanitation Fund allocated over US$119 to sanitation projects in developing countries. The Global Sanitation Fund was a multi-donor United Nations trust fund that aims to help large numbers of people in developing countries improve their sanitation and adopt good hygiene practices. GSF was positioned as an innovative way to finance sustainable development.
Scope
Currently, 2 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, and 673 million defecate in the open. Diarrheal disease, a preventable disease largely caused by poor sanitation and hygiene, is a leading cause of child malnutrition and mortality, claiming around 525,000 lives of children under 5 every year. The GSF, along with a diverse range of sector actors, was aimed at helping address the sanitation and hygiene crisis by enabling tens of millions of people to live in open defecation free (ODF) environments and access adequate toilets and handwashing facilities. These activities were also aimed at supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal Number 6. The United Nations system has identified global funding for sanitation and hygiene as key to enabling member countries to achieve their national development targets. The GSF funded behaviour change activities to help large numbers of poor people in hard to reach areas attain safe sanitation and adopt good hygiene practices. These activities can be described as having been community-based, supporting national efforts, and bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders. The GSF worked with a range of prominent entities in the water, sanitation and hygiene sectors including the World Bank, Water Aid, UN-Water, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, Global Poverty Project and the CLTS Foundation. Community-led total sanitation was frequently utilized by GSF-funded national programmes, such as in Cambodia and Nigeria. The GSF previously funded, national programmes in Benin, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. Results as of closing were: 18.1 million people with access to improved sanitation facilities; 24.4 million people living in open defecation free environments; and 23.8 million people with access to basic handwashing facilities on premises. Governments in the following countries, mainly through the development assistance programmes, have contributed to the now closed GSF. They are:
Australia Finland The Netherlands Norway Sweden Switzerland The United Kingdom The GSF was established by WSSCC to boost financing to countries with high needs for improved sanitation. It was first established in 2007, in response to the United Nations Human Development Report for 2006, which raised the issue of the global sanitation crisis.
Menstrual hygiene management
A key challenge that WSSCC focused on relates to the inclusion of menstrual hygiene management in the sustainable development agenda. WSSCC highlighted that the taboo surrounding menstruation is a barrier to equal participation and opportunities for women. A National Public Radio article highlighted that many policy makers often admit that they had never considered questions around menstruation before.
Equality and non-discrimination WSSCC advocated for equality, human rights and non-discrimination as central to ensuring access to safe water supply, adequate sanitation and good hygiene for all. In particular, WSSCC WASH advocated to promote women's participation and leadership and menstrual hygiene and health.
Other focus areas Other focus areas of the WSSCC included sustaining behaviour change as well as ensuring reliable and consistent monitoring, particularly of households that return to previously abandoned unhygienic behaviours. WSSCC worked on these issues through systems strengthening and impact evaluations.
Reports and campaigns Notable reports and campaigns supported by WSSCC included:
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