Sound governance is essential to achieving water security. National governments must make water and sanitation issues a priority, while both national and local governments must create enabling environments that will improve drinking water and sanitation service delivery, improve water sector coordination, mobilize investment, and incentivize management of water resources.

The World Bank estimates that $114 billion per year of capital investments will be required to meet universal access to safely managed water and sanitation services by 2030, or about three times current global investment levels. When countries have effective policies, country-led processes, and institutions capable of delivering sustainable water and sanitation services and managing water resources transparently, they attract investment from both domestic and external sources to fill funding gaps. This leads to increased capacity, greater investor confidence, increased sector finance, accelerated coverage of water and sanitation services, and effective watershed and water resources management.

USAID’s Approach

Improving governance and increasing finance for the water and sanitation sector are inextricably linked. That’s why governance and finance are a core objective of the U.S. Government Global Water and Strategy and USAID’s Water and Development Plan. USAID seeks improvements in water governance and financing by strengthening the responsible policies and institutions with the overall aim of supporting countries’ transition away from reliance on donor assistance. Some examples of USAID’s water and sanitation assistance for water governance and financing include:

• Operationalizing policies, strategies, and implementation plans for the water and sanitation sector.
• Increasing coordination of actors within the water and sanitation sector to align objectives and leverage resources.
• Increasing the capacity of national and local governments to assess, regulate, and manage water services and resources.
• Mobilizing private sector investment through innovative financial tools and partnerships.

• Why it Matters

  Globally, one in three people lack a hygienic toilet in their homes. Sanitation and hygiene are critical for health, economic growth, personal security, and dignity, especially for women and girls. Investments in sanitation reduce health care costs and boost productivity, as time available for work and school increases. Every day, thousands of children around the world die from diarrheal disease caused by inadequate sanitation. And yet globally, more people have access to a mobile phone than a toilet. Insufficient access to sanitation is estimated to have cost the global economy more than $220 billion in 2015.

  USAID’s Approach

  USAID helps partner countries reach the poor and underserved to end open defecation, gain first-time or improved access to basic sanitation services, move progressively toward safely managed services, and create hygiene behavior change that lasts. USAID’s sanitation objectives include:

  • Reducing the number of people practicing open defecation
  • Increasing the number of people with access to basic sanitation facilities
  • Improving the affordability and availability of sanitation products and services
  • Increasing the amount of fecal waste effectively captured and treated on-site, or collected, transported, and treated offsite
  • Improving the ability of educational and health systems to manage sanitation and hygiene facilities in institutions
  • Increasing the number of people with safely managed sanitation services.
  • Increasing handwashing with soap at critical times
  • Increasing the rate of safe management of household drinking water  

  Closing the global sanitation and hygiene gap are key objectives of the U.S. Government Global Water Strategy and USAID’s Water and Development Plan. In support of the water strategy, USAID seeks to provide 8 million people with sustainable access to sanitation services by 2022.

  As a result of USAID programs, communities around the world are benefiting from access to improved water and sanitation services, and promotion of key hygiene behaviors.

• Why it Matters

  Globally, 663 million people still lack access to safe drinking water sources—the very resource on which a healthy, productive life depends.  Even for those who have access, services are often inadequate to meet basic needs. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 30 percent to 50 percent of rural systems are nonfunctional within five years of being built, and utilities in urban areas often ration water servicing. Similarly, water is often contaminated from urban, industrial, and agricultural pollutants that can compromise nonpiped water systems, even those that are classified as improved water sources. Many of those who lack access to basic water services also live in conflict-affected states with poor governance, insecure tenure, high rates of poverty, and weak institutions. In countries with a history of conflict and civil unrest, the impact of refugees has further deteriorated the condition of water supply services.

  USAID’s Approach

  The Agency helps partner countries reach the poor and assist the underserved in gaining first-time or improved access to basic drinking water services and climb progressively toward safely managed services. Access to a safe and reliable drinking water source is critical for health and livelihoods, and is especially important for unlocking educational and economic opportunities for women and girls. The reliable provision and management of drinking water also builds trust in local and national governments, and can contribute to local and national stability. Increasing access levels in rural areas has been a traditional focus of USAID investments. While investments in rural water supply will continue, the rapid pace of urbanization also requires increasing attention to urban services and utilities, particularly in dense peri-urban settlements and secondary cities and towns, often served by informal providers. Examples of USAID’s water assistance include:

  • Increasing the number of people with access to basic drinking water services
  • Improving the ability of education and health facilities to provide and manage water services adequately in schools and clinics
  • Catalyzing increased financing for the operations and maintenance of water systems, including through investing in innovative financial vehicles
  • Improving the quality and reliability of drinking water
  • Increasing the number of people with access to safely managed drinking water services

  Increasing sustainable access to safe drinking water is a key objective of the U.S Government Global Water Strategy and USAID’s Water and Development Plan. In support of the water strategy, USAID seeks to provide 15 million people with sustainable access to drinking water services by 2022.

  As a result of USAID programs, communities around the world are benefiting from access to improved water and sanitation services, and promotion of key hygiene behaviors.

• Globalwaters.org is a knowledge platform supported by the USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security’s Center for Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene.

  This site is intended for development professionals, global and national leaders, and the American public. We will engage them with digestible, evidence-based content that highlights progress, results, lessons from, and resources developed by USAID’s water security, sanitation, and hygiene activities in support of the Agency’s Water and Development Plan under the U.S. Government Global Water Strategy.

  We aim for the site to also support learning and spur innovation, adaptation, and reflection among USAID’s partners around the globe to improve development programming and amplify the impact of USAID’s investments into the future.

  USAID supports Globalwaters.org through the Global Waters Communication and Knowledge Management II Activity, managed by EnCompass LLC. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Please visit USAID’s website for official government information.