Joint Sector Review outlines recommendations for water and sanitation

WaterAid Uganda joined fellow development partners, government representatives and civil society organisations for this year's annual review of the water and sanitation sector, known as the Joint Sector Review.

Taking place over three days the Joint Sector Review is a forum which enables a variety of stakeholders to feed into and influence developments in Uganda's water and sanitation sector. Covering matters such as performance assessment, budget and policy, the review produces a number of undertakings every year. Responsibility for implementation is also agreed at the review with different agencies taking away agreed actions.

The following undertakings were agreed at the 2006 Joint Sector Review:

• Prepare and test a framework for implementation of participatory Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in one pilot catchment by September 2007.
• Investigate the best way to introduce an integrated sanitation and hygiene budget line for local governments to cover health, education, water supply and sanitation by March 2007. Lobby the relevant authorities to initiate implementation of the process.
• Develop, improve and implement frameworks that result in cost savings for water and sanitation service delivery.
• Revise the Sector Performance Measurement Framework. Rework its criteria and the way it defines, establishes and validates information regarding access to and use of safe water and sanitation in Uganda.
• Allocate funds for 2007/08 to all sub sectors, ensuring increased decentralisation and taking into account targets for rural water supply and sanitation in post conflict districts and districts with low coverage.
• Mobilize, in partnership with all stakeholders, communities and private sector funding so that at least 30 percent of the investment comes from the beneficiaries for schemes constructed from now on.

From the above , it was resolved that the agencies responsible for implementing the undertakings provide detailed work plans before the next Water and Sanitation Sector Working Group meeting in November 2006.