Critique of Seven Country-Level Assessments of Water Supply and Sanitation with Emphasis on Chapter 7
Summary
An Agreement for Performance of Work (APW) was contracted with SEAMEO TROPMED Network to develop a methodology for analysing water, sanitation, hygiene and health linkages at national level and applying the methodology in multicentric study involving several Asian countries. Terms of Reference are: 1) to review the analyses of water, sanitation, hygiene and health linkages in seven existing country-level assessment reports and identify improvements that are needed in WHO/UNICEF Guidelines for Preparation of Country-level Assessment in relation to these analyses; 2) to submit a short report critique on the analyses of water, sanitation, hygiene and health linkages in 7 existing country level assessment reports and identify improvements that are needed in WHO/UNICEF guidelines for the preparation of country-level assessments. WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) on Water Supply and Sanitation has tracked and analyzed trends in access to water supply and sanitation services since 1990 in almost all countries. The JMP also has periodically issued global sector assessments reports that are useful for policy development in the international community. The JMP has also been adopted by the United Nations for the purpose of monitoring progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals' targets and indicators related to water supply and sanitation. One of the objectives of JMP is to strengthen countries' capacities to monitor progress and assess the water supply and sanitation sector at national level. Thus, country level sector assessments have been supported by WHO/UNICEF in Latin American and the Caribbean. On pilot basis, support has been provided to a number of countries in Asia. In 2004, the JMP Advisory Group recommended that WHO/UNICEF promote country-level assessments globally. Part of the recommendation of the Advisory Group is to review and improve the current WHO/UNICEF guidelines for conducting country-level assessment.