Making sanitation happen : turning ‘political will’ into action

This policy brief is based on the WaterAid research project  'Beyond political commitment to sanitation: navigating incentives for prioritisation and course correction in Ethiopia, India and Indonesia' conducted by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

It analyses and provides recommendations on how national governments and external stakeholders can translate their commitment to delivering universal access to sanitation into action. The two key recommendations are:

First, to cascade political prioritisation to lower government levels and across critical ministries. How?

• Foster buy-in by aligning with the world views of those involved, linking sanitation with notions of nation building and modernity.
• Tap into personal aspirations, ensuring sanitation efforts receive recognition and result in career progression.
• Enlist authoritative figures to drive prioritisation across all ministries and departments.
• Work with the financial, legal and political realities of decentralisation affecting decision-makers at local levels.

Second, to invest in timely course correction to address bottlenecks. How?

• Invest in reliable verification systems to reduce misreporting and build trust in data.
• Nurture a culture of learning, providing space and flexibility for trial, error, learning and adaptation.
• Use informal sharing and reporting mechanisms, such as WhatsApp groups, that cut across hierarchies and enable a rapid and regular flow of information.
• Set up review mechanisms, ensuring quality over quantity and involving those with decision-making power as a way to ensure it all leads to progress-chasing policy implementation. (author abstract).