Water, Sanitation and Hygiene cluster

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene cluster
Name	Water, Sanitation and Hygiene cluster
Formation	Humanitarian response systems (varies by context)
Type	Humanitarian coordination mechanism
Region served	Global
Parent organization	United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene cluster is a humanitarian coordination mechanism activated in complex emergencies to coordinate United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs-led responses for potable water, sewage, waste management and hygiene promotion. The cluster convenes actors ranging from United Nations agencies such as United Nations Children's Fund and World Health Organization to international non-governmental organizations like Médecins Sans Frontières and Oxfam International, as well as national ministries and local actors including municipal utilities and community-based groups. It operates alongside other clusters such as Health Cluster, Nutrition Cluster, and Shelter Cluster to integrate life-saving water and sanitation services into broader humanitarian operations.

Overview

The cluster model emerged from the 2005 Humanitarian Reform process and the subsequent institutionalization of the Cluster Approach to improve predictability and accountability in crises such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In sudden-onset disasters and protracted conflicts — for example in Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan — the cluster brings together actors to plan, prioritize, and deliver interventions aligned with international standards like the Sphere Project Minimum Standards and the Geneva Conventions insofar as humanitarian access and protection are concerned. Prominent lead agencies rotate regionally but commonly include UNICEF for technical leadership in child-focused WASH programming and WHO for public health coordination during disease outbreaks such as Cholera outbreaks in Haiti or Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.

Governance and Structure

Governance typically consists of a lead agency designated by United Nations OCHA which appoints a cluster coordinator and establishes strategic advisory groups and technical working groups. At country and sub-national levels, coordination structures mirror national systems, interacting with ministries such as the Ministry of Health or Ministry of Water Resources where those ministries exist, and with municipal utilities like Karachi Water and Sewerage Board or Lagos State Water Corporation in urban settings. Global coordination is supported by networks including the Global WASH Cluster and technical partners such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Bank for reconstruction financing. Advisory bodies often include representatives from Save the Children, Action Against Hunger, CARE International, International Rescue Committee, Plan International, and regional organizations like the African Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations when relevant.

Activities and Interventions

Core activities encompass emergency water supply (e.g., trucking, borehole drilling, water purification), sanitation infrastructure (latrine construction, fecal sludge management), hygiene promotion campaigns, and cholera preparedness and response. Interventions have been deployed in response to crises such as the Typhoon Haiyan response in the Philippines, the Hurricane Maria recovery in Puerto Rico, and protracted displacement in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Technical inputs draw on guidance from UNICEF, WHO, Sphere Project, and specialist agencies like WaterAid and IRC (International Rescue Committee), while private sector partners including Veolia and SUEZ have provided logistics and engineering support. Innovations include cash-based interventions informed by World Food Programme cash pilots, market-based sanitation models piloted with USAID funding, and remote monitoring technologies piloted with partners such as Google and Palantir Technologies for data aggregation and visualization.

Coordination and Partnerships

Coordination mechanisms extend across clusters and sectors, linking with Health Cluster, Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, Protection Cluster, Education Cluster, and the Logistics Cluster. Partnerships span international NGOs, national governments, multilateral banks like the International Monetary Fund for macro-level stability, bilateral donors including United States Agency for International Development, Department for International Development (now part of Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), and philanthropic entities like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Academic partners such as Oxford University, Johns Hopkins University, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine contribute research, while standards and coordination are reinforced through forums like the Global WASH Cluster annual meetings and thematic working groups convened by UNICEF and WHO.

Funding and Resources

Funding is sourced from pooled humanitarian funds such as the Central Emergency Response Fund, country-based pooled funds managed by OCHA and bilateral grants from governments including United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and regional development banks such as the Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank for resilience-building. Non-traditional funding streams include private philanthropy from entities like the Gates Foundation and corporate social responsibility contributions from multinational firms. Resource mobilization involves proposal development for Humanitarian Response Plans and appeals such as the Global Humanitarian Overview, with financial tracking undertaken through platforms like Financial Tracking Service to ensure donor visibility and allocation efficiency.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability

Monitoring and evaluation use standardized indicators aligned with the Sphere Project and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee guidance, employing tools such as Joint Needs Assessments, Post Distribution Monitoring, and Mobile Data Collection platforms developed in collaboration with Flowminder and REACH. Accountability to affected populations is enforced through feedback mechanisms, beneficiary satisfaction surveys, and complaints and response mechanisms coordinated with protection actors and local civil society such as Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. External evaluations have been carried out by institutions like ALNAP and Independent Evaluation Group to assess effectiveness, lessons learned and to inform reform in contexts including Somalia and Haiti.

Category:Humanitarian aid