Aid effectiveness in the water and sanitation sector: policies, practices and perspectives

Aid effectiveness has been on the international development agenda since the 1990s. The disappointing development results of past decades sparked an intensive debate on the effectiveness of aid in development in general, but also within the water and sanitation sector. In recent years, while the official aid volume for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector has been increasing, public and political support for development assistance is under pressure. The start of the global financial crisis and economic recession in 2008 increased pressure to improve aid effectiveness and deliver results. This is essential to justify aid and sustain public and political support for the international development agenda.

This Thematic Overview Paper (TOP) explores current policies, practices and perspectives on aid effectiveness in the water and sanitation sector. The first part discusses the international policy framework to increase aid effectiveness; it defines the concept and the main drivers for the debate. The second chapter focuses on the current status and challenges for aid effectiveness in the water and sanitation sector and provides an overview of ongoing initiatives to improve the effectiveness of aid at international, regional and country levels. The paper concludes with different perspectives on the future of aid effectiveness in the sector.