For decades, progress in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector has been measured primarily in terms of new infrastructure—pumps, pipes, taps and toilets. Sustainability of water and sanitation, if addressed at all, meant the sustainability of this infrastructure, rather than of the services it was intended to provide. This focus has led to poor services, broken facilities and wasted investment.
Published on: 04/07/2013
For decades, progress in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector has been measured primarily in terms of new infrastructure—pumps, pipes, taps and toilets. Sustainability of water and sanitation, if addressed at all, meant the sustainability of this infrastructure, rather than of the services it was intended to provide. This focus has led to poor services, broken facilities and wasted investment.
Water and sanitation must be viewed as a service, access to which are basic human rights. Infrastructure is a critical component but only one part; the pumps and pipes, taps and toilets need to be managed and maintained over time and eventually replaced—a far more complex and challenging task than their initial construction. True sustainability means continuity of service.
IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) believes that the WASH sector—a large network of individuals, organisations and institutions—must change the way it perceives its mandate, from emphasising capital investment and installation of new infrastructure to addressing the real challenge: how the hardware is maintained, managed and governed to deliver services.
A knowledge-focused NGO, IRC works with a worldwide network of partner organisations. It does not provide WASH services; instead, it works with those who do, helping them directly be more effective in delivering services to all citizens and overcoming the challenges that lead to wasted investments. IRC works with WASH practitioners in focus countries through participatory action research that identifies problems, fills gaps and develops robust models for sustainable and equitable service delivery. The lessons from these activities are documented and shared with a wide audience. IRC uses this understanding to advocate at national and international levels for improved policy and practice. Because of this mix of activities, IRC sometimes refers to itself as a “think-do tank”.
IRC was founded in 1968 and initially served as a reference centre for the WASH sector, documenting change and good practices and strengthening developing countries’ capacities through knowledge management. Recognising that many countries would not meet the water and sanitation targets contained in the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, IRC has become an active, engaged player, committed to tackling the systemic problems that compromise service delivery. This shift in IRC’s work is necessary to achieve faster, more significant progress.
Following a process of reflection that included an external review of its strategic direction, IRC adopted four primary goals for 2012–2016:
This Annual Report describes how IRC translated its vision into action in 2012.
