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How SWA Partners are preparing for 2020 Finance Ministers' Meetings: Real-time updates from the ground

Sanitation and Water for All Secretariat
25 Nov 2020

The Sanitation and Water For All global partnership will be hosting three virtual Regional Finance Ministers' Meetings (FMMs) in November and December 2020 - Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific. The objective of the virtual Regional FMMs is to develop and strengthen partnerships with finance ministers for smart investments in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). 

Ministers of finance are critical decision-makers and leaders in creating and maintaining the links and partnerships necessary to effectively integrate WASH into the economic and health recovery needed to manage and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Finance Ministers' Meetings will be crucial to building economies which:

  1. maximize the economic and employment opportunities offered by the water, sanitation and hygiene sector,
  2. improve health outcomes by making appropriate investments in low-cost, high-rewards preventative programmes such as water, sanitation and hygiene; and
  3. identify and build partnerships to attract additional finance, including for climate mitigation.

SWA partner countries have started the preparations for the FMMs which reinforce and strengthen country dialogue and action. Through this blog, we aim to capture the updates coming in from our partners across all five SWA constituencies and all four regions.

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#2020FMM

14:1902 Dec 2020 Permalink

Asia and the Pacific Finance Minister Meeting wraps up!

Today, Asian and the Pacific finance ministers met to explore concrete ways to ensure universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene. 

Country experiences discussed were drawn from across the region including Indonesia’s experience in the use of incentive-based financing to improve utility performance and expand access to low-income households, accessing Green Climate Funding to build resilience in Fiji, how Sri Lanka massively expanded its budget allocations for water supply and sanitation, and other significant insights from Nepal, Maldives, India, and Bangladesh.

Watch the full meeting here.

Tweet deck

 

12:0227 Nov 2020 Permalink
Finance Dialogue

Philippines: Dialogue on Sector Financing with the Government

Ahead of Asia and the Pacific FMM, the SWA Secretariat and the Senior Advisor on finance, Catarina Fonseca, hosted a virtual meeting with the Government of Philippines to discuss the key challenges in the country, when it comes to investment in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. 

Over 20 people attended the meeting, including the representatives from the Department of Finance, National Economic Development Agency (NEDA), UNICEF Philippines and the World Bank. Some of the key challenges that were identified during the discussion are: a) insufficient investment b) institutional fragmentation c) climate change and its effect on WASH infrastructure d) low drinking water and sanitation coverage, especially in rural areas. Catarina Fonseca shared examples from other countries on mobilizing additional financing and a discussion followed on various potential solutions specific to the Philippines.

As a next step, the Philippines will be invited for the SWA 'Systems and Finance Work Group' meeting, which involves other countries too. These activities support the new strategic objectives of SWA, mostly Objective 3, which talks about rallying stakeholders to strengthen systems performance and attract new investments. 

11:3427 Nov 2020 Permalink

Maldives: CSOs write advocacy letter to Ministry of Environment

In Maldives, SWA CSO focal point has written an advocacy letter to the Ministry of Environment to share the adapted learnings from preparatory activities being undertaken globally for SWA Finance Ministers’ Meetings and key asks from civil society stakeholders in water, sanitation and hygiene sector. The CSOs have shared the following recommendations with the Minister of Environment: 

  1. Integration of WASH into existing and ongoing water and sewerage related projects of the country, to assure the effectiveness of WASH utilities
  2. Recognising the importance of well-placed investment in WASH in light of a global pandemic, and enhancing continued financing to improve the effectiveness of existing infrastructure and services to assure that our schools can open and workplaces are safe to support the economy of the nation
  3. Continued improvement of WASH policies for schools, workplaces, and health care settings 
  4. In line with the Water and Sewerage Act, apart from developing guidelines and standards related to environment, toilets, and construction and plumbing, also developing incentive, drive and human capital, and capacity development for optimisation of resources.
  5. Strengthening multi-stakeholder participation, including CSOs and the general public, to ensure that budget processes are inclusive and transparent
  6. Benchmarking service provision across the sector
  7. Capacity development of service providers and human resources in the sector through knowledge creation, distribution and data sharing.
  8. Assessing our contributions in the WASH sector as a whole

The CSOs have reiterated their support to the government, to reach the Government commitments towards SWA.

Additionally, for the WASH Finance Week, CSOs have launched a massive communications campaign to create awareness about the importance of Finance Ministers' Meeting and to share key advocacy messages targeted to financing inequalities in the sector. Follow their Facebook and Instagram page.  

11:0827 Nov 2020 Permalink
Vietnam UNICEF Bilateral meeting

How UNICEF Vietnam is preparing for Finance Ministers Meeting

SWA Secretariat organized a bilateral virtual meeting with the UNICEF team in Vietnam to finalize the preparation for ministerial participation for upcoming Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers' Meeting. Along with line ministry, UNICEF team is leading the preparation of the country overview for the ministerial briefing, which was discussed during the meeting. Hon. Nguyen Hoang HiepVice Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD), Vietnam has confirmed his participation for the FMM.

16:0326 Nov 2020 Permalink
Nepal Meeting for FMM preparation

Nepal: Ministry of Water Supply organizes multi-stakeholder meeting for FMM preparation

On 26th November, SWA partners in Nepal organized a multi-stakeholder National virtual meeting, chaired by the Ministry of Water Supply to prepare for upcoming Asia and the Pacific Finance Minister’s Meeting. At the meeting, the stakeholders were consulted for the preparation of country overview for ministerial briefing. They also discussed the SWA commitments to increase and optimize financing in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector and allocating resources to the most marginalized, in the context of COVID-19.

CSOs discussed LNOB issues

 

13:1725 Nov 2020 Permalink
Bangladesh handbook

SWA Finance Handbook presented to Bangladesh Ministers

The SWA Government focal point, along with UNICEF and Civil Society Organizations, has presented the Finance Handbook to the Sector Minister and Finance Minister in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh handbook presentation

 

12:0324 Nov 2020 Permalink
Meeting Bangladesh- WASH finance week

How Bangladesh is observing the WASH finance week ahead of FMM

For Asia and the Pacific WASH finance week, Network of Networks, the civil society umbrella body in Bangladesh, organized a virtual meeting today to discuss the importance of the upcoming Finance Ministers' Meeting and the role of CSOs. The Network of networks is also using FMM as an opportunity to reflect and report back on the progress of SWA CSO commitments. The commitments were discussed in detail during the meeting, wherein CSOs shared how there has been almost a 13% increase in the budget allocation for water, sanitation and hygiene. Another result of advocacy by Network of the networks was finalization and approval of the Pro-poor strategy by the Government of Bangladesh. 

Bangladesh CSO MAM commitments

 

To mark the starting of the WASH finance week on 23rd November, the SWA partner, DORP organized a radio show to discuss the importance of financing water, sanitation and hygiene sector and the FMM. Hon. Tazul Islam, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Bangladesh joined the radio program, along with WaterAid Bangladesh Country Director and SWA Regional Coordinator for Asia and Pacific. 

Listen to the full radio program recording (in Bengali) on the link below:

11:5724 Nov 2020 Permalink
FANSA webinar

FANSA making a case for financing inequalities ahead of Asia and the Pacific FMM

Last week, Freshwater Action Network South Asia (FANSA) organized a webinar on the “WASH Status of Vulnerable groups - What needs to be done to improve the services?” to discuss the outcomes of the 100 focused-group discussions with representatives of five vulnerable groups across the South Asia Region. The five groups include urban shanty dwellers, homeless, persons with disabilities, sanitation workers and people living in hard to reach/remote/tribal/disaster prone areas. 

FANSA webinar- Bhutan presentation

This webinar also focused on gathering key messages for advocacy action in the run-up to the SWA Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Asia and the Pacific. The SWA CSO advisor presented on the orientations of the FMM, and how the key messages from the workshop could be presented at the Finance Ministers' Meeting and captured into the joint policy brief from FANSA and CSOs in the region.

Watch the full recording of the webinar:

18:4523 Nov 2020 Permalink
India FMM Bilateral call for preparation

How India is preparing for Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers Meeting

The SWA Secretariat is holding bilateral discussions with the Government of India to prepare for the upcoming Finance Ministers' Meeting. The virtual meeting was attended by the representatives from the Ministry of Jal Shakti and UNICEF India.

Hon. Shri. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti in India has confirmed participation for the FMM. The ministry and the UNICEF is currently working on the country overview on the status of water, sanitation and hygiene sector for ministerial briefing.

17:2119 Nov 2020 Permalink
Bangladesh meeting for country overview

Bangladesh: Multi-stakeholder preparation for Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers Meeting

As part of the preparatory process for upcoming Finance Ministers’ Meeting, the Government of Bangladesh has finalized the country overview for ministerial briefing and the draft government commitments together with UNICEF, Department of Public Health Engineering, Policy Support Branch (PSB) of Local Government Ministry representative and Civil Society Organisations.

For the WASH Finance Week, the SWA CSO partners from DORP have planned two radio shows to discuss the importance of Finance Ministers’ Meeting as well as the commitment of Government on budget allocation for water, sanitation and hygiene.

17:0119 Nov 2020 Permalink
Laos Bilateral meeting

How Laos is preparing for Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers Meeting

The Government of Laos, UNICEF and World Bank attended the FMM preparatory meeting organized by the SWA Secretariat for Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers Meeting. During the meeting, it was decided that there is a need for targeted advocacy with the Ministry of Finance to discuss resource allocation for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in school and health care. 

As part of the preparatory process, the Government of Laos will be doing a detailed assessment of gaps in WASH financing and explore the different tools for sector financing provided by SWA.

12:0619 Nov 2020 Permalink
Myanmar Bilateral Meeting

Asia and the Pacific FMM: SWA hosts virtual meeting with Myanmar

To prepare for upcoming Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers’ Meeting, the SWA Secretariat hosted a bilateral virtual meeting with the Ministry of Health and Sports (MoHS) and the Department of Rural Development (DRD), Myanmar and the UNICEF country office. The Deputy Directors who joined the meeting will report back to the Ministers, and UNICEF Myanmar will disseminate copies of the SWA Finance handbook to the related Ministries. 

During the meeting, the MoHS shared challenges related to toilet construction in flooding areas and has requested technical support from the SWA partners. SWA Secretariat has planned another meeting with the Government of Myanmar to prepare for the WASH Finance Week, (a week before the FMM).

The Government of Myanmar is in the process of joining the SWA partnership. However, the DRD, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Sport and the Department of Basic Education, Ministry of Education had taken SWA commitments. They will be using the opportunity of FMM to report back on commitments.

12:4413 Nov 2020 Permalink
Paraguay Virtual Meeting on LAC FMM

Paraguay: Discussion on key sectoral challenges ahead of LAC FMM

Ahead of the LAC FMM, the SWA Secretariat and the Senior Advisor on finance, Catarina Fonseca, hosted a virtual meeting with the Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DAPSAN) and General Direction of Public Investment to discuss the key challenges in Paraguay, when it comes to investment in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. During the meeting, DAPSAN presented on the current situation regarding finance for the  WASH sector in Paraguay. The key challenges identified in the discussion are a) insufficient investments b) low drinking water and sanitation coverage and poor quality and c) low institutional capacity, poor quality of services.

However, opportunities to mobilize political prioritization for the sector are identified as– a presence of a National Plan for water and sanitation and an active intersectoral water committee. Moreover, there is an increase in the investment for increasing the coverage, mainly in sanitation.

Presentation during the meeting

 

12:1213 Nov 2020 Permalink
Costa Rica meeting

Costa Rica: Meeting on finance investment as part of FMM preparation process, climate change identified key challenge

As part of the preparatory process for the LAC FMM, the SWA Secretariat along with Senior Advisor on finance, Catarina Fonseca, organized a bilateral meeting with representatives from Ministry of Finance in Costa Rica and Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewerage. During the discussion, damage to the water and sanitation infrastructure due to Climate Change- El Niño for the past seven years with this year's exception has been identified as one the key challenges to the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. The following opportunities and pathways were identified:

  • Credit support in replenishing recovery infrastructure due to El Niño damage
  • Government investment in the WASH sector- greater investment is needed to maintain and rebuild infrastructure
  • 0.5% GDP invested in sanitation
  • 500 million USD needed to reach Costa Rica's sustainable development goals
  • 93 % coverage of potable water, in recent years investment in increasing coverage mainly in sanitation
  • Good relations and flow of communications between the WASH line ministry and the finance ministry
12:3912 Nov 2020 Permalink

LAC FMM: Civil Society using media to mobilize Government in Nicaragua

As part of the preparation for the LAC Finance Ministers' Meeting, the SWA CSO partner in Nicaragua– Specialized Center for Women's Affairs (CEAMUJER) is holding media interviews to mobilize decision-makers in line ministries. In these media interventions, CEAMUJER is talking about the importance of government recognition and financial support for contributions of the community organizations (local water and sanitation committees).

16:5011 Nov 2020 Permalink

Paraguay: Weekly preparation meetings for LAC Finance Ministers Meeting

In Paraguay, SWA CSO focal point from the Center for Environmental and Social Studies (CEAMSO) is working closely with the Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DAPSAN) at the Ministry of Public Works and Communication for upcoming Latin America and Caribbean Finance Ministers' Meeting. CEAMSO and DAPSAN are holding weekly meetings to prepare the country overview for ministerial briefing.

Last month, the SWA Secretariat initiated the preparatory process in Paraguay, wherein sector ministers, the finance minister, CSOs and representatives from the UNICEF and IDB attended the bilateral meeting to plan for the FMM.

Paraguay call

 

16:0006 Nov 2020 Permalink
LAC final prep webinar

Final FMM preparatory webinar for Latin America and the Caribbean

Ahead of the Latin America and the Caribbean Finance Ministers' Meeting, SWA organized a final preparatory webinar titled “Smart Partnerships with Finance Ministers”. The webinar focussed on how to effectively partner with Ministers' of Finance as well as discuss the final aspects of preparation for the meeting and the format of the FMM itself. The Principal Research Economist and the Principal Economic Advisor of the Inter-American Development Bank presented a financial and economic overview of the Latin American and Caribbean region and its links with water, sanitation and hygiene, as the importance of coordination and collaboration in partnerships with finance ministers.

In the second part of the webinar, partner countries presented on their preparatory process and discussed ideas and answer questions about activities which could be useful in preparing for the FMM. To conclude the webinar, the SWA secretariat briefed the participants on the agenda and announced the case studies which will be presented during the Finance Ministers' Meeting.

The recording for the webinar can be accessed on this link.

15:4506 Nov 2020 Permalink
Asia CSO Workshop

Learning and Exchange Workshop on Finance Advocacy for SWA Civil Society Partners in Asia

As part of the preparatory process for Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers' Meeting, SWA organized a learning and exchange workshop on finance advocacy with Freshwater Action Network South Asia (FANSA) for CSO partners on 5th November.

Over 50 civil society actors who joined the workshop had a unique opportunity to hear from the domain expert, Catarina Fonseca on how CSOs can use the recently released SWA Handbook for Finance Ministers' and underlined four pathways for CSO engagement in finance advocacy.

Through this workshop, SWA Civil Society partners from India and Bangladesh shared good practices on engaging with the Government for mobilizing additional financing for the sector and involving communities in budget planning. Creating an opportunity for cross-regional learning, International Budget Partnership presented their work on social auditing and tracking water and sanitation services and in informal settlements in South Africa.

Listen to the full recording of the workshop below and access the PowerPoint presentation on this link.

10:5504 Nov 2020 Permalink

Africa Finance Ministers Meeting will kick-off shortly!

The first meeting Finance Ministers' Meeting will be held virtually for the Africa region on 4 November at 7.00 am NY/1.00 pm Abuja / 3.00 pm Nairobi. More than 40 Finance and Sector Ministers from Nigeria, Mauritania, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Lesotho, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Sudan, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Zambia, Eswatini, Eritrea, Guinea and Heads of United Nations agencies, International Financial Institutions, civil society, private sector, and research and learning have confirmed their participation.

Join here!

Africa FMM

 

18:4903 Nov 2020 Permalink
Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Minister of Water Resources receive SWA Handbook

Ahead of Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting, the SWA Government focal point has presented the Finance Handbook to the Minister of Water Resources in Sierra Leone. 

18:4303 Nov 2020 Permalink
Gambia country overview meeting

Gambia: Final preparations underway ahead of Africa FMM

The Gambia has finalized the country overview for a ministerial briefing on the upcoming Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting. The Finance Minister and the Health Minister have committed to participate in the FMM.

18:3303 Nov 2020 Permalink
Liberia CSOs meeting

Liberia: CSOs launch media campaign and organize follow-up meetings on Africa FMM

Ahead of the Africa Finance Ministers’ Meeting, Liberia CSOs organized a follow-up meeting with lawmakers on prioritizing financing for the water, sanitation and hygiene sector.  Also, the WASH stakeholder presented the country Brief to the Minister of Finance. 

Liberia CSOs have launched a massive media campaign to raise awareness and share key messages on financing the sector on radio channels. 

18:2203 Nov 2020 Permalink

Africa FMM: Media outreach by CSOs in Guinea

The National Coalition for Water Action and Advocacy (CNAPE) in Guinea is using national media to advocate for the prioritization of water, sanitation and hygiene sector ahead of the Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting. The CSO network has the following messages for key stakeholders in the sector:

  • The government should make information on state budgets, state spending, local government spending available.
  • The Government of Guinea through the Ministry of Budget, Public Health and the Ministry of Water and Sanitation should take steps now to begin to develop documents on the use of national public procurement systems, the use of the country's financial management systems, and support for the strengthening of sector systems/capacities.
  • Calls on technical and financial partners to put in place simple and transparent systems accessible to all stakeholders to receive information on sanitation and drinking water
  • Donors to make significant new resources available for the elimination of inequalities and water, hygiene and sanitation, focusing on strategic national actions.
  • SWA and UNICEF to continue to provide advice and information to governments and share data on the alignment of other development partners' budgets

Full article (in French), can be accessed here

Guinea Media Screenshot

 

17:5103 Nov 2020 Permalink

Zimbabwe: Finance Minister presents SWA Handbook to ministers

Zimbabwe organized a joint commemoration of the Global Handwashing Day and the WASH Finance Week for Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting. During the event, the Finance Minister formally gave the SWA Ministerial Handbook on WASH finance to his counterparts. Finance Minister also committed to supporting the water, sanitation and hygiene sector through five-year National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1). 

15:5702 Nov 2020 Permalink
Nepal Meeting

Nepal: Finance Minister receives SWA Handbook

Ahead of Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers’ Meeting, the SWA Government focal point for Nepal presented the SWA handbook on WASH finance to Hon. Bishnu Poudel, Finance Minister.

13:2629 Oct 2020 Permalink
Zambia CSOs meeting

Zambia CSOs meet Sector Minister, plan for inter-ministerial dialogues

This morning, the Zambia NGO WASH Forum met with the sector minister of water to discuss the upcoming Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting to discuss sector challenges and opportunities for collaboration in addressing them. The Minister has been actively engaged with the Minister of Finance, and along with other stakeholders will be planning interministerial dialogues to enhance financing to the water, sanitation and hygiene sector and coordination to address critical gaps.

12:5829 Oct 2020 Permalink
Malawi

Africa FMM: Briefing Meeting with the Malawi Finance Minister

On 29th October, representatives of the SWA National Taskforce (multi-stakeholder) briefed the Minister of Finance, Hon. Felix Mlusu on the upcoming SWA Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting (FMM). Hon Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources, leading the SWA National Taskforce, briefed the Minister of Finance about the preparatory process for FMM. The dialogue also focused on improving the level of funding towards the water, sanitation and hygiene sector and sustaining a dialogue with the key sector players. The team will have a similar dialogue with the Minister of Health next Monday.

Malawi split screen

 

17:1428 Oct 2020 Permalink
Liberia handbook presented to Finance Minister

Liberia prepares for Africa FMM, Finance Minister confirms participation

On behalf of the WASH Sector of Liberia, the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Commission has presented SWA handbook on WASH financing and investment to Hon. Samuel D. Tweah Jr., Minister of Finance and Development Planning. The Hon. Minister has confirmed his participation for the upcoming Africa Finance Ministers Meeting scheduled for 4th November. 

Meanwhile, the SWA Civil Society focal point is working closely with the WASH commission and other stakeholders to prepare the country overview for ministerial briefings.

17:0928 Oct 2020 Permalink
Gambia handbooks

Gambia: Ministers receive SWA Finance handbook

Ahead of the SWA Africa Finance Ministers’ Meeting, SWA Government focal point presented the Finance Handbook to Hon. Mamburry Njie, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Hon. Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, Minister of Health and to the Director of Fisheries and Water Resources, Lamin Mai Touray. 

Gambia Handbook

 

16:5628 Oct 2020 Permalink

Eswatini: SWA Finance Handbook presented to Health Minister

Ahead of the SWA Africa Finance Ministers’ Meeting, the Government Focal Point in the Kingdom of Eswatini officially presented the Finance Handbook to the Honourable Minister for Health, Senator Lizzie Nkosi.

Eswatini

 

16:2528 Oct 2020 Permalink

Haiti: SWA Finance Handbook presented to Minister of Economy and Finance

Ahead of the SWA Finance Ministers' Meeting in Latin America and the Caribbean, the SWA Government focal point in Haiti has presented the Finance Handbook to Honourable Michel Patrick Boisvert, the Minister of Economy and Finance. 

Haiti Finance Minister

 

12:3527 Oct 2020 Permalink
Mali meeting

National Dialogue on Sector Financing in Mali

Today, Mali is organizing a national dialogue on sector financing. The water minister is present, as are representatives of the other sector ministers and the finance minister. All stakeholders have gathered to take stock of WASH financing, agree on clear recommendations for the way forward and identify how to convert these recommendations into commitments and actions.

Mali meeting 2

 

09:5427 Oct 2020 Permalink
Madagascar Multi-stakeholder meeting

Madagascar: A three-day workshop of all WASH stakeholders, with a special focus on sector financing and policies

This morning marked the beginning of a three-day workshop entitled "Meeting of WASH stakeholders in Madagascar". This workshop has brought together over 100 stakeholders from across the sector, including the WASH Minister and the Permanent Secretary of the Finance Ministry, partners like UNICEF and the African Development Bank, and the civil society.

This comprehensive gathering of the sector stakeholders is taking stock of the WASH sector in the country by doing- an extensive mapping of stakeholders; analyses of the financing needed and available, with a special emphasis on different solutions for financing the sector; a presentation of the updated National WASH Policy; and the framework for partnerships, including involvement of the private sector. Discussions are being informed by the sharing of good practices on the points from partners within and outside Madagascar. Therefore, besides being a key part of the planning and analyses processes for the WASH sector in Madagascar, this workshop is also an opportunity to build capacity of the stakeholders. 

The SWA Secretariat has provided extensive inputs into the concept and planning of this important sector event in the country. A dedicated session also discussed Madagascar's engagement on the SWA platform, including the commitments Madagascar's stakeholders have made as part of the Mutual Accountability Mechanism. Thus, all the stakeholders have been further sensitised on the country's commitments. 

The workshop will directly feed into the country's preparations for the Finance Ministers' Meeting on 4 November, for which the WASH Minister has already confirmed her participation. 

Presentation during the meeting

 

09:3427 Oct 2020 Permalink
Tanzania CSO workshop

Tanzania CSOs use Africa FMM as an opportunity to review commitments

Earlier this month, Tanzania Network for Water and Sanitation (TAWASANET), a national network of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector organized a workshop in Mwanza to review SWA commitments from 7-10th October 2020. The SWA CSO focal point in Tanzania submitted the report on commitments review to the government and the private sector stakeholders for peer review and feedback. 

Majority of the CSO commitments have almost been fully achieved, and TAWASANET has submitted an official progress report to the SWA Secretariat.

15:3726 Oct 2020 Permalink
Africa CSO workshop

Africa FMM: Learning and Exchange workshop for SWA Civil Society partners

On 22nd October, SWA along with African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) organized a 'Learning and Exchange Workshop on Finance Advocacy' as part of the preparation for the upcoming Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting. This workshop provided an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning on how CSOs in different countries and contexts are mobilizing finance for the sector, with specific recommendations for entry-points in finance advocacy. 

The workshop started with an intervention from SWA Finance Advisor, Catarina Fonseca, who outlined the role of Civil Society in using the recently released SWA Finance Handbook for Finance Ministers'. Also, she provided the following four pathways for CSO engagement in finance- a) Directly with Ministry of Finance, b) Engaging with Ministry of Water (to reach Ministry of Finance / Heads of State /other line Ministries) c) Engaging with District political and technical financial decisions (by budget tracking, etc.) d) Engaging with citizens and other CSOs (through media, budget champions, etc.).

Sareen Malik, Coordinator, ANEW and SWA Steering Committee Vice-Chair and Africa CSO representative moderated the discussion in the second half of the workshop wherein SWA CSO National focal points presented on country-specific interventions. Bubala Muyovwe from NGO WASH Forum and CSO focal point for Zambia discussed the rationale behind finance advocacy and how CSOs are engaging in budget advocacy in the country. In Nigeria, Attah Benson from NEWSAN and CSO focal point for Nigeria talked about the importance of capacity building for budget tracking and holding governments accountable. Yunia Musaazi from UWASNET and CSO focal point for Uganda on provided key recommendation and messages for engaging with the Parliamentarians. The CSO focal point for Liberia, Timothy Kpeh discussed how CSOs are using FMM as an opportunity to mobilize sector actors and CSO focal point for Mali, Boureima Tabalaba, talked about the importance of collaborating with the Government, especially in preparation for the FMM.

Watch the full workshop video below and access the PowerPoint presentation from the workshop on this link:

17:4123 Oct 2020 Permalink
Philippines meeting

Philippines: Delegation from Ministry of Finance plans for FMM

Today, the SWA Secretariat team had a bilateral virtual meeting with the Government of Philippines. A big delegation from the Ministry of Finance lead by Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez attended the meeting. She has been nominated by the Honorable Minister of Finance to attend virtual Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers' Meeting. The meeting was also attended by the National Economic and Development Agency, which is the nodal agency for WASH and also SWA partners- UNICEF and Water.Org.

The meeting started with opening remarks from Louise Maule, UNICEF WASH Chief, where she stressed on the importance of multi-stakeholder efforts and benefits that global partnerships like SWA can offer to the WASH sector in the country. Philippines isn't officially a partner of SWA but has been closely engaging with SWA since past one year. The Philippines team has already started preparing for the FMM and representatives from the Finance Ministry have been attending the SWA webinars. The Philippines team has planned to take forward the preparatory process and refer to the existing master plan developed on Water and Sanitation. Some events have been planned around the World Toilet Day, which can be merged with the proposed WASH Finance Week.

16:1923 Oct 2020 Permalink
Africa FMM webinar

Africa Final FMM preparatory webinar: Smart partnerships with Finance Ministers

On 21 October, SWA organized the final Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting preparatory process webinar titled "Smart Partnerships with Finance Ministers" which considered how to effectively partner with African Ministers of Finance as well as discussed the final aspects of preparation for the Africa FMM. 

Sam Godfrey, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Advisor for WASH at UNICEF moderated the first half of the webinar, and Dr Canisius Kanangire from AMCOW facilitated the discussion on the preparation for Africa FMM and the agenda for the meeting. 

Osward Chanda from the Water Development and Sanitation Department at African Development Bank made the opening remarks on the WASH sector can make smart partnerships with Finance Minister. He shared the following key messages:

  • Challenges in water & sanitation are mostly related to infrastructure deficit (resources) and weak sector management and governance, which indicates that existing resources have to be used more effectively
  • The number of deaths caused by inadequate water & sanitation services are higher than by flooding, droughts, earthquakes, epidemics and conflicts combined. Therefore, the efficiency and effectiveness of services are needed.
  • Public resources alone cannot bridge the gap, so blended finance is critical to mobilize capital for SDGs
  • Climate adaptation finance action has been increasing, and it is a great way to leverage collaboration between governments, external agencies, banks, to achieve SDGs. 

Neil Cole from the Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI) talked about the importance of understanding the role of the Minister of Finance, in terms of understanding the various priorities and the role of the cabinet in budgets. Furthermore, the strategies for increasing investment have to be identified.

The SWA Chief Executive Officer, Catarina de Albuquerque, presented the agenda for the upcoming Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting. The SWA Regional Coordinator for Africa, Nompumelelo Ntshalintshali, gave a timeline to the FMM and shared good practices from the in-country preparatory process from Dem Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

During the webinar, Dhoba Lovemore, SWA Government Focal point in Zimbabwe and Vincent Andjidoulou from General Directorate of Hydraulic Resources, Central African Republic presented on how they are preparing for the Africa FMM.

Click on the link below to watch the full video:

13:4323 Oct 2020 Permalink
Mali Meeting picture

Mali discusses SWA Finance Handbook, plans for National Dialogue on Sector Financing

On 21 October, immediately following the Africa FMM webinar, the Mali team held a meeting in which the Ministerial Handbook was presented to the technical and financial partners of the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector in the country. 

This meeting was moderated by the representative of the WASH donor lead in Mali. The SWA Advisor on Finance, Catarina Fonseca, who is also a co-author of the Ministerial Handbook, presented the Handbook and gave some examples of good practices that could be relevant to Mali. She emphasized the different ways in which the Ministerial Handbook is useful - both as a resource in planning sector financing and as an advocacy tool to be used at all levels of the sector to advocate for more and better funding for WASH. The discussions following the presentation were rich and varied. 

Participants discussed the scope and expected results from the "National Dialogue on Sector Financing", especially on the topic of reforming tariffs, that is to take place in Mali on 27 October. The participants spoke of the need to take a multi-pronged approach - the government partnering with civil society to advocate for tariff reforms as a way to reduce inequalities and the technical and financial partners' focus on tariff reforms as a decisive condition for external support.

17:3022 Oct 2020 Permalink

Nigeria: SWA Finance Handbook presented to Minister of Water Resources

As part of the preparation process for the Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting, the SWA Government focal point, Emmanuel Awe and the Private sector focal point, Nicholas Igwe, met with Hon. Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Water Resources, Nigeria. They formally presented the SWA Finance Handbook for the Finance Ministers'.

Handbook presentation meeting in Nigeria

 

17:1322 Oct 2020 Permalink
PNG meeting

Papua New Guinea begins preparation for Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers’ Meeting

Papua New Guinea has initiated the preparatory process for Asia and the Pacific Finance Ministers’ Meeting. In a virtual bilateral call with the SWA Secretariat, the Government focal points from the Department of National Planning and Monitoring informed that they would start working on the country overview document along with UNICEF for ministerial briefings ahead of FMM. The Government will also be using the opportunity of FMM to prepare SWA commitments based on national plans and are keen to include other stakeholders in the process.

SWA Government focal point in Papua New Guinea has also received the SWA Finance Handbook, which will be presented to the Deputy Prime Minister.

PNG focal point receives handbook

 

12:3215 Oct 2020 Permalink
DRC Workshop

DR Congo holds workshop to validate country overview for FMM

Today, the Democratic Republic of Congo is holding a workshop in Kinshasa to discuss and validate the country overview for the Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting. The workshop is being moderated by Prof. Yvonne Ibebeke, from the Université Pedagogique Nationale and former head of production at REGIDESO, the public water utility.

The SWA Secretariat is making an intervention in this workshop to present the overall context of the SWA and the FMM, and encourage other, equally robust and inclusive preparatory activities for the FMM. The workshop is being attended by representatives of the sector Ministries, civil society and the R&L partners. 

Once the country overview is finalized and validated, it will be presented to the Finance and sector Ministers. From 26 October to 6 November, the Democratic Republic of Congo will organize the WASH Financing Week. 

12:3214 Oct 2020 Permalink
Kenya Multi-stakeholder Meeting on MAM

Kenya reviews SWA commitments as part of FMM preparatory process

Last week, WASH Alliance Kenya, the civil society network, organized a multi-stakeholder meeting along with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation. During this meeting, the government representatives and partners from different constituencies reviewed the SWA commitments to make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and time-bound). The commitments from the private sector, civil society and research institutions will rally behind the Government's commitments and support their achievements. The SWA CSO national focal point also made a presentation on the upcoming Finance Ministers' Meeting and the preparatory process.

11:1914 Oct 2020 Permalink

Lesotho prepares roadmap for engagement in Africa Finance Ministers Meeting

The Government of Lesotho is drawing a roadmap in preparation for the SWA Africa Finance Ministers' Meeting. In a bilateral call with the SWA secretariat, the Government focal point from the Ministry of Water confirmed that WASH Cluster would prepare a brief on the current situation regarding coverage, targets and commitments to meet SDGs and finance gaps in the sector. Key recommendations from the country brief will be presented to the Minister of Water, who will then be briefing the Minister of Finance and Minister of Health. The Ministry of Water is planning to conduct an inter-ministerial dialogue as a breakfast meeting, for which media houses will also be invited.

12:2808 Oct 2020 Permalink
UNICEF FMM preparatory meeting

UNICEF begins preparatory process for Finance Ministers Meetings

On 7th October, over 70 UNICEF water and sanitation country focal points met to know more about and discuss their role in the upcoming SWA Finance Ministers' Meetings. During the meeting, they also considered the option of supporting a finance week in their country and regions to engage key stakeholders in the sector. The session was opened by UNICEF's WASH Chief, Kelly-Ann Naylor and chaired by Guy Hutton, Senior Advisor, UNICEF WASH Section.

16:2307 Oct 2020 Permalink
Sierra Leone FMM meeting-1

Sierra Leone begins preparation for Africa Finance Ministers Meeting

The Government of Sierra Leone has started the preparation for the Africa Finance Ministers’ Meeting. Today, the representatives from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Water Resources, along with UNICEF and WHO met at WASHNet’s (Civil Society Network) office. During the meeting, they reviewed the country preparation guidance note and have started the process to prepare the country overview for ministerial briefings. The country overview will highlight the role of water, sanitation and hygiene for economic benefits of investing in this sector, especially in the times of COVID-19. The next meeting has been scheduled for October 14, 2020.

SL meeting

 

13:2602 Oct 2020 Permalink
Cambodia

Cambodia Government to hold multi-stakeholder meeting for Asia FMM preparation

Cambodia will kick off the preparatory process for the Asia Finance Ministers' Meeting (FMM) next week with a multi-stakeholder meeting. The preparatory process is led by the Ministry of Rural Development and supported by partners like UNICEF, WaterAid, Water.Org, WSSCC, among others. The Government will use the opportunity of the FMM preparatory process to review the existing SWA commitments in a multi-stakeholder way. Additionally, partners from different constituencies will be mobilised to develop their commitments to support Government commitments. 

As Cambodia will celebrate the National Sanitation Day in the third week of November which coincides with the WASH Finance week (the week before the Asia Finance Ministers' Meeting), some common activities will be planned by the Government for both the events.

13:0002 Oct 2020 Permalink
South-South learning event-Madagascar Minister presentation

South-South learning and Ministerial-level dialogue on sector financing

On 1 October, the SWA Secretariat facilitated an event to strengthen South-South learning and contribute to the political dialogue on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). This virtual event started with a specific country initiative – the Avotr'Aina operation in Madagascar, which seeks to reach the most vulnerable urban populations with essential WASH services. The ensuing dialogue saw Madagascar's WASH Minister discussed with a domain expert, the country's specific challenges in sector financing and some possible, actionable solutions, taken notably from the SWA Finance Handbook. Catarina de Albuquerque, the CEO of SWA, moderated the event. 

This event was part of SWA's focus on sector finance and complements activities related to the in-country preparatory process for the Finance Ministers' Meetings. 

Click on this link to watch the full event.

 

16:2925 Sep 2020 Permalink
CSO network meets the Liberia WASH commission on FMM prep process

Liberia CSO WASH Network engages WASH Commission on FMM preparation and SWA commitments

Following the launch of the SWA Finance Handbook on September 3, the Liberia CSO WASH Network has started engagements with the National Government to prepare for the upcoming Africa region Finance Ministers’ Meeting (FMM). The CSO network has agreed on undertaking a media campaign and have planned several advocacy meetings with the Liberia WASH commissions, the WASH Legislative Caucus, the Finance Minister and the Head of the State.  

On September 17, the Liberia CSO WASH Network met with the Chairman and Executive Director of the National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Commission of Liberia (NWSHC) to follow up on progress on the FMM preparation and the implementation of the Liberia SWA commitments.   

The Liberia WASH Commission Chairman, Hon. Bobby Whitfield said the Government of Liberia is taking following steps for the preparation of the Finance Ministers’ Meeting: 

  1. Reactivation of SWA Finance Minister’s Meeting preparation technical committee  
  2. Hosting of Joint Sector Review (JSR) in October 2020 to help inform the government on the current status of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector with recommendations  
  3. Appointment of the Human Rights Officer and the recommendation for two civil society representatives to work with the Human Rights Department at the Liberia WASH Commission 
  4. Follow-up and reporting back on the SWA commitments taken by the Liberia Government and the Civil Society
On September 24, the WASH Legislative Caucus has officially written to the Liberia Finance Minister and the WASH Commission Chairman to create mobilization around SWA Finance Ministers meeting. 

 

15:2425 Sep 2020 Permalink
Malawi WASH actors meets minister

Malawi: WASH actors meet the Minister with recommendations on finance gaps

On September 9, the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) donor groups and civil society actors from the Water and Environmental Sanitation Network (WESNET) met with the new Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources, Honorable Minister Nancy Tembo who is also responsible for WASH. Through this meeting, WASH actors discussed issues related to sector financing and policy reforms and presented the following recommendations to the Minister: 

  1. A sound financing strategy for the sector, including increased budget from the government and exploring innovative financing streams (e.g. climate financing, private sector financing and non-concessional financing) as well as possibilities for pool funds/ Sector Wide Approach to Planning (SWAp).
  2. A robust reporting and monitoring system, based on open-source data and information sharing, is required for collective action to meet targets. 
  3. A sound climate-resilient WASH strategy, looking at durability and self-sustainability of solutions for communities and adoption of “green technologies”. This strategy would help to better position WASH in the national resilience plans.  
  4. The establishment of an independent regulatory agency is of great importance for review and definition of tariffs and cost recovery mechanisms, the definition of standards for construction, quality of services and environmental protocols. Issues on independence and governance of Water Boards should be looked into as well. 
  5. Aggressive rolling out of market-based solutions is needed to boost access to basic sanitation services as well as the removal of taxes and import duties for sanitation and hygiene products.  
  6. Institutional arrangements for sewerage and faecal sludge management (FSM) management in urban areas (City Councils vs Water Boards) need to be clarified and based on cost-recovery and cost-effectiveness of operations.  
  7. There is a need for greater emphasis on building sector capacities at the national as well as the decentralized level—higher investment required for research. 
The Honorable Minister, Nancy Tembo, sent a feedback letter regarding the visit promising continued engagement at all levels to help the sector make positive impacts.
 

This morning I had the honour to engage Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) partners and donor groups to discuss WASH...

Posted by Nancy Tembo, MP. on Wednesday, 9 September 2020