In a recent interview with MediaGlobal from New York Political motivation in sub-Saharan Africa essential for reaching sanitation MDGs Dick de Jong and IRC were quoted several times. MediaGlobal also linked to two of the four stories Dick wrote after the AfricaSan 3 conference in Kigali and subsequent field visit in July 2011
Published on: 05/10/2011
In a recent interview with MediaGlobal from New York Political motivation in sub-Saharan Africa essential for reaching sanitation MDGs Dick de Jong and IRC were quoted several times. MediaGlobal also linked to two of the four stories Dick wrote after the AfricaSan 3 conference in Kigali and subsequent field visit in July 2011, see http://www.irc.nl/page/54198.
“...The UN system is trying to push, but if national government leaders are not interested it means that funding will not come forward and that the women, men, and children in those countries will not get safe water and decent sanitation,” Dick de Jong, Advocacy and Communication Officer at the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, told MediaGlobal.
However, some countries in the region demonstrated good results in recent years, spreading optimism about progress toward the MDGs. Rwanda stands as a frontrunner, being the sole sub-Saharan country to achieve its goals so far with 58 percent of the population now possessing access to basic sanitation services.
Political stability is the key
One essential lesson: strong political motivation more than economic development, is the key for fostering improvements in the delivery of sanitation services. Countries in the region that witness improving political stability, like Rwanda, have seen significant improvement in recent years, compared to countries in which the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was increasing but unaccompanied by political reforms.
Between 1990 and 2008, more than 4 million Rwandans gained access to improved sanitation services, according to the World Bank. “Rwanda’s sanitation program scores better than many richer African countries, similar to other countries that had gone through intensive post-conflict and poverty reduction strategy programs,” confirms de Jong.
A politically stable country is better able to delegate power and funds to local authorities and communities, which are often better informed on local needs and capacities. “In a few years, Rwanda managed to considerably improve its public financial management and more than 30 percent of its national budget is now allocated to Rwandan district authorities,” adds de Jong. “Local authorities are thus empowered to implement national sanitation and hygiene policies at district level, and organize trainings for local authority staff.”
MediaGlobal
MediaGlobal was launched in January 2006 as an independent media organization designed to create awareness in the global media of the suffering of the world’s poorest countries in Africa and Asia on issues of economic development, global health, food security and the impact of climate change on developing countries. In October of the same year, MediaGlobal and the United Nations launched the Global Media Compact. Before long United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) became a signatory of the Global Media Compact, an initiative aimed at making the global media aware of the constraints of developing countries.
