IRC and partners hosted a symposium on building and strengthening systems to deliver safe and sustainable WASH services for everyone. It took place from 12th - 14th March 2019 at the Fokker Terminal, The Hague, the Netherlands
The symposium brought together systems thinkers and do-ers from within and beyond the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector, to share our understanding of how systems approaches can help build sustainable and expanded WASH services around the world. We sought to stimulate more holistic thinking to help reveal opportunities for systemic change in the WASH sector. A primary objective was the identification of the current state-of-the-art thinking and experiences in WASH systems, the development of skills and tools for moving from theory to implementation of systems approaches, an elaboration of a shared agenda for taking the learning forward.
The symposium asked participants to share experiences of how they are using systems thinking to address persistent challenges in WASH -- and how they measure systemic improvements. And through invited guests from other sectors, it provided insight into how and with what tools systems thinking and systems strengthening are employed beyond WASH.
What would you have learnt at the symposium? What was the vision and motivation for the event? Read the background note or see the programme. For more information on the five thematic streams read the thematic area concept notes.
Proceedings Part 1 (Symposium papers)
Proceedings Part 2 (Post-proceedings)
All systems go! was a practitioner-focused discussion on how to deliver strong and resilient WASH systems and on how to apply systems approaches to improving WASH service delivery. Our symposium was open to practitioners and theoreticians of WASH systems or the application of systems approaches to WASH.
Systems approaches and the WASH system: from theory to useful application
Water, sanitation, and hygiene are services that require a robust system in order to function long term. Delivering WASH services reliably and consistently over time is far more complex and demanding than simply constructing WASH infrastructure (although getting that right is crucial). A complex network of people and factors need to work effectively together to deliver water and sanitation services over time: taken together, these make up the WASH system.
The 'language' of WASH services, WASH systems and of systems approaches has emerged and gained traction in the last few years, and the Sustainable Development Goals are explicitly supportive of a systems-based understanding of development processes. A growing number of organisations and initiatives are experimenting with and implementing systems approaches as a way to more effectively develop sustainable WASH services.
While there are different methodologies and vocabularies in use, our objective is simple and pragmatic: to identify, understand and amplify approaches that work. The symposium will cover content ranging from whole systems conceptual frameworks to systems thinking for sector finance to technical tools for addressing specific parts of the system.
Applying systems approach and building WASH Systems > Strong National and Local WASH Systems > WASH Services for Everyone > Improved Health and wellbeing
Service delivery does not occur in a vacuum—the bureaucratic, social, technical, and financial systems in which service delivery takes place constantly interact with and have effects on each other and eventually the quality of the service delivered. Those people, functions, activities, and behaviours that relate directly to WASH service provision are all part of the WASH system.
Revisiting some of the greatest moments from the symposium dedicated to WASH systems strengthening. See them here.
Download all the public presentations from the symposium uniquely dedicated to WASH systems.
