JSR Proposed Next Steps

Background

The second Annual Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Joint Sector Review (JSR) was held in Monrovia on May 1-2, 2014 and resulted in a draft list of recommended actions for the next financial year. This list was further discussed and finalized at the WASH Coordination Meeting, hosted by the National WASH Promotion Committee (NWSHPC), on May 15, 2014. The final list, organized around sector strategic objectives, can be found below.

The list has been organized below by the NWSHPC Secretariat for inputs from all stakeholders.

A final deadline of June 5th has been set for final inputs to the document. Following this process the SO thematic groups will be reorganized and Chairs ,Co-Chairs and Lead coordinator will be named to drive this process.

See the list below:

Background

The second Annual Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Joint Sector Review (JSR) was held in Monrovia on May 1-2, 2014 and resulted in a draft list of recommended actions for the next financial year. This list was further discussed and a decision to finalize the agree actions were discussed at the WASH Coordination Meeting, hosted by the National WASH Promotion Committee (NWSHPC), on May 15, 2014. The complete version of the proposed actions, organized around sector strategic objectives, can be found below.

Thematic Area / Issues Arising at the JSR (recommendations, Breakout, Plenary Audience / Integrated versions/Summarized for concision / Comments
Governance, Capacity & Coordination /
  • All 15 counties have regular WASH coordination meetings which are reported on at the next JSR
  • National Water and Sanitation Board established and meeting; terms of reference finalised.
  • Increase the visibility of WASH at MPW and create the national bureau for rural WASH
  • Hold regional meetings to explain the Board’s purpose to county leadership
  • Decentralize WASH implementation, financing and governance to sub-national levels
  • Revise LWSC mandate that was approved in 1973
  • Revisit and enforce public health and safety laws coupled with massive awareness
  • Develop process-driven WQ guidelines including roles of different stakeholders; county focal points; test fees; timeframes; and reporting lines (MOHSW, MLME, EPA)
  • Select technical line ministry with highest mandate for WASH as focal point (Vice Chair) for coordinating and reporting on WASH activities in Liberia

Finance /
  • Government Funding for existing WASH Budget Lines increased [also SWA commitment]
  • Clear and distinct budget lines for WASH in all WASH Ministries & Agencies (within 3 years) [SWA]
  • Financial aspects of WASH policy reviewed (e.g. user fees, cost recovery)
  • Support WASH ministries and agencies to submit implementable WASH projects to the Project Management Office at the Ministry of Finance (MOF) using tools that already exist, such as the SIP, to plan priority projects for both urban and rural areas
  • Prioritize preparatory work for infrastructure investment through necessary feasibility studies
  • Devote a minimum of 5% of County and Social Development Funds to utilize as cost recovery for sustainability and devote user fees to operation, maintenance, monitoring and evaluation
  • Increase funds, including from community and county development funds, for WASH in schools and health clinics (MOE, MOHSW)

Service Delivery /
  • Rural WASH Technical Guidelines reviewed, updated & expanded (with validation) disseminate them fully – (could be linked to new funding via WASH Consortium)
  • Equity issues are properly addressed and guidelines utilised in major Rural WASH projects
  • Present and clearly lay out issues of rural and urban water and sanitation facilities & hygiene promotion separately in the SPR
  • Revise rural water guidelines to reflect the participation of local dwellers and authorities and WASH representatives
  • Improve efficiency of bill collection under LWSC
  • Use GIS maps that show SWM coverage
  • Focus on school WASH clubs and health education so children are taking lead in spreading messages (MOE

Monitoring /
  • Sector Strategic Operation Matrix reviewed & re-prioritised so that it is more realistic.
  • Next SPR aligned with Govt Fiscal Year & reports on progress with respect to recommendations & considers feedback on 2013 report from counties, donors, CSOs, agencies & ministries
  • Next JSR in Oct or Nov 2015, with “commitments for action” signed by GoL, donors & NGOs/CSOs.
  • Add evaluation component to developing Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) plan so lessons are learned from existing programs
  • Conduct a nationwide survey on sanitation and hygiene to act as a baseline for planning
  • Explain clearly how health WASH facilities should be monitored and reported to national system by NWSHPC (MOHSW)
  • Develop WQ database that can be accessed by all (MOHSW)