Learning what works : a 20 year retrospective view on international water and sanitation cooperation : 1978-1998

The UNDP-World Bank Water and Sanitation Program was originally conceived as an applied research project to support efforts in the Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990). This publication traces the developments which have guided thinking and action in the water and sanitation sector since the Program's inception in 1978, and analyzes how the Program has affected - and been affected by - these developments.
The book is divided into three sections. The introduction - traces the initiatives and changes in thinking which led to the Program's creation in 1978.
Part I - "The Appropriate Technology Phase, 1978-1988" -- looks at the Program's first decade of activity. The chapter describes the main project activities undertaken by the Program during this period, the principal lessons learned from the successes and failures of these projects, and the evolution in international thinking which influenced and resulted from them.
Part II - "From 'Hardware' to 'Software', 1988-1994"- discusses the shift in emphasis from appropriate technologies to a greater concern with institutional and service management issues. During this period, the Program focus was on sustainability, community participation and the role of women, and institution-building and human resources development.
Part III - "Promoting the New Agenda, 1994-1998" -- traces the further evolution of the Program's scope and agenda. It looks at capacity building, the growing urban sanitary crisis, and the shift towards a more demand-responsive approach. This chapter closes with a look at the Program's future.