WaterAid contributes to the Uganda Water and Environment Joint Sector Review

Tim Fowler, Country representative for WaterAid in Uganda and 2nd from left, chats with the State Minister of Water and Environment, middle, and the Executive Director of UWASNET, far right.

Credit: WaterAid in Uganda

8 December 2009

Every financial year, the Government of Uganda together with sector development partners and other stakeholders conduct the annual Joint Sector Review as a key consultative arrangement for implementation of a Sector Wide Approach to Planning in the water and environment sector. This year the review meeting was held between 14–16 October 2009 at the Speke Resort Munyonyo on the shores of Lake Victoria under the theme "Sector preparedness to mitigate environmental challenges".

WaterAid attended the meeting and greatly contributed to the discussions and the undertakings.     

WaterAid contribution to the NGO Performance Report

WaterAid facilitated the Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET, a national umbrella organisation with 165 active NGO members) with technical support to produce the NGO contribution to the Sector Performance Report.

As a result of the support, 88 out of the 165 active UWASNET and WASH cluster members submitted their data compared to 62 out of 150 members in the previous year — representing a response rate of 53.3% compared with 41.3% the previous year.

While UWASNET has over the past few years produced the report with the help of external consultants, this time WaterAid staff worked hand in hand with the UWASNET secretariat to produce the report, thus contributing to the Secretariat's in-house capacity. Key highlights of the report include; a need for NGOs to be more transparent and accountable, increase avenues for coordination and information sharing at different levels and an emphasis on equity and inclusion.

WaterAid contribution to Joint Sector Review (JSR) 2009 undertakings

WaterAid was instrumental in drafting and smartening the UWASNET and WASH cluster members' undertaking recommendations to the JSR 2009. The undertakings were circulated to all delegates during the JSR meeting. These contributed to policy dialogue, debate and eventually enriching and guiding discussions of the agreed sector undertakings. 

The proposed undertakings were:

• Sector finance: enhancing accountability and efficiency of sector institutions to improve sector "fundability"
• Urban water and sanitation: scaling up appropriate pro-poor approaches in the delivery of urban water and sanitation
• Water stressed areas: formulation of a strategy to address water scarcity in the context of climate change
• Rural water supply: strengthening management information systems and monitoring to improve functionality
• Sanitation: enactment and enforcement of sanitation byelaws in all districts

Read the full report, WaterAid contribution to JSR 2009 ( PDF 301KB) and the JSR agreed minutes ( PDF 239KB)