The Global Water Security & Sanitation Partnership (GWSP), formerly the Water and Sanitation Program, is a
trust fund
A trust is a legal relationship in which the holder of a right gives it to another person or entity who must keep and use it solely for another's benefit. In the Anglo-American common law, the party who entrusts the right is known as the " sett ...
administered by the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
geared at improving the accessibility and infrastructure of
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...
and
sanitation
Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation syste ...
for underdeveloped countries. GWSP works in more than 25 countries through regional offices in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
and
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
,
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, the
Caribbean, and an office in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Heath P. Tarbert is the Acting Executive Director for the United States. The GWSP is best known for its work providing technical assistance, building partnerships and
capacity building
Capacity building (or capacity development, capacity strengthening) is the improvement in an individual's or organization's facility (or capability) "to produce, perform or deploy". The terms ''capacity building'' and ''capacity development'' ha ...
. GWSP focuses on both regulatory and structural changes and also
behavior change projects, such as a scaling up
handwashing
Hand washing (or handwashing), also known as hand hygiene, is the act of cleaning one's hands with soap or handwash and water to remove viruses/bacteria/microorganisms, dirt, grease, or other harmful and unwanted substances stuck to the hands ...
project and scaling up sanitation project. Another key aspect of GWSP's work is sharing knowledge and
best practice
A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to other known alternatives because it often produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing ...
s through multiple channels. The GWSP has determined five main focus areas: Sustainability, inclusion, institutions, financing, and resilience.
Activities
In addition to other field projects, the program published 108 field notes and technical briefs in 2016. During this year, just under $40 billion US dollars was distributed worldwide, mostly in Africa. The program divides its efforts between the development of sanitation infrastructure and supplies and researching issues impacting the well-being of the communities lacking such facilities.
Countries affected
Africa
*
East Asia and the Pacific
*
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
*
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
*
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
*
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
*
Laos
*
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
*
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
*
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
Latin America
*
Bolivia
*
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
*
Haiti
*
Honduras
*
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
*
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
Other Focus Areas
Ending open defecation
The program has devoted much of its influence to ending
open defecation
Open defecation is the human practice of defecating outdoors ("in the open") rather than into a toilet. People may choose fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals, or other open spaces for defecation. They do so either because they d ...
(OD) which affects 1 billion people worldwide and ultimately leading to an estimated 842,000 deaths annually. As part of the RWSP, the WSP began extensive collecting of data in several countries to explore the factors contributing to open defecation in rural areas.
The main methodology they have developed is dubbed the SaniFOAM framework. It is focused on identifying the specific practices or attitudes that need to be improved within a community and then finding solutions to influence them to ultimately end open defecation.
Rural Water and Sanitation Project (RWSP)
The Water and Sanitation Program focused mostly on metropolitan areas. The Rural Water and Sanitation Project focuses mainly on the rural areas that don't have access to the materials that the metropolitan areas do. The RWSP expands the water and sewage infrastructure in areas that only have it in a small part of the country. The project utilizes techniques to shift behavioral habits and sanitation marketing to create a demand for products and services to improve water quality. Beginning in 2006 it was implemented India, Indonesia, and Tanzania. It has now spread to over a dozen countries.
Water Partnership Program (WPP)
The Water Partnership Program focuses on agricultural use of water. WPP recognizes that 70% of the freshwater is being used for agricultural usage. The WPP is researching into agriculture, and taking steps to preserve fresh water from being exploited for growing crops.
Methodology
Sustainability
The GWSP has stated that their goal is to promote and help fund private sector initiatives in countries with limited access to water. The reasoning of the GWSP behind promoting development in the private sector is that they claim private water suppliers are able to provide better access with less cost, and that the public sector lacks the resources to improve the access to water. However, there have been criticisms made about the practice of
water privatization
Water privatization is short for private sector participations in the provision of water services and sanitation. Water privatization has a variable history in which its popularity and favorability has fluctuated in the market and politics. One o ...
in developing nations. Some criticisms include how, for the sake of increasing profit for water corporations, these private water suppliers do not do an adequate job of developing infrastructure, and once programs to aid development end, many lower-income households are left without access to inexpensive water.
The GWSP takes steps to ensure the sustainability of water.
* Plan for the future of population growth, urbanization, and climate change
* Infrastructure built to last and be maintained
Inclusion
The GWSP includes everyone and makes sure not to discriminate anyone from water.
Institutions
There are set rules that institutes make. GWSP tries to figure out the rules to expand its services.
Financing
An estimate of US$114 billion per year until 2030 has been made. To reach that goal, the GWSP is taking steps balancing sources of income, making water affordable, and keeping the viability of water is kept up.
Resilience
Extreme weather, and climate change will effect how the GWSP runs. The steps taken to help slow down the shock is to build buildings that are more resilient to temperature change while still providing water.
History
In an effort to improve upon water and sanitation technology for impoverished nations, the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
and
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
(UNDP) founded the program in 1978.
The program and its for bearer UNDP invested most of its efforts to testing cost-effective technologies such as hand pumps and latrines for future implementation in the 1980s. However, as other world governments and organizations began developing systemic solutions and strategies to approach issues regarding safe water and sanitation, the program followed suit in widening its scope of impact.
Beginning in the early 1990s the World Bank Water and Sanitation Program worked on sustainable solutions for communities to provide water for themselves. Their main objectives were to create systems that could stay in operation and help the communities be independent. By the end of the decade the program divided its efforts into both field projects and research and evaluation of the world's water systems and practices.
Donors
The program is funded by several countries including
Australia,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
,
Sweden,
Switzerland,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, as well as by the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
References
{{Reflist
Sanitation
Water supply
World Bank