The sanitation value chain

25 - 27 May 2015. Dakar, Senegal. The conference is attracted about 40 Ministers responsible for sanitation from across Africa, along with about 1000 participants drawn from government agencies, civil society, donors and development banks, multilaterals, research organizations and the private sector.

The theme of AfricaSan 4 “Making Sanitation for All a Reality in Africa” not only concerns itself with sanitation access. It seeked to address the full sanitation value chain (containment, emptying, transport, treatment, disposal and reuse). Moreover it also focuses on a full sanitation ladder of access, including making Africa open-defecation free. By sanitation is also implied hygiene: AfricaSan 4 hosted a specific discussion on how to accelerate good hygiene behaviour change.

The specific objectives of AfricaSan 4 were to:

Launch a new pan-African, ministerial endorsed commitment to reach universal access to sanitation and eliminate open defecation: the meeting reviewed progress on implementing the eThekwini Declaration and extended the eThekwini targets and refined indicators based on experience thus far and to reflect these new political commitments.
Provide country peer support: Africasan 4 enabled participating African countries to share experiences in implementing country action plans and achieve the eThekwini and Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) high-level meeting commitments. The meeting gave an opportunity for countries to present reviews of country sanitation and hygiene action plans, in order to improve their quality, realism and potential for impact. Peer support enabled countries that have made progress to support those lagging behind.
Track progress: Taking stock of progress made by African countries since AfricaSan 3 in 2008 and the progress needed to meet the MDG on sanitation by 2015 and to work towards the post 2015 development agenda, so that no-one in Africa is denied their right to sanitation.
Promote a stronger evidence-base and learning exchange across Africa: Increase the evidence base on sanitation and hygiene in Africa and exchange knowledge on strategies to overcome key blockages to assist decision-makers in implementing large-scale sanitation and hygiene programs.
Advocate for sanitation and hygiene: Raise the profile of sanitation and hygiene as a determinant to sustainable development in the region; and strengthen leadership and advocacy for sustained sanitation and behavior changes in order to ensure that the most excluded groups are reached. AfricaSan re-affirmed its alignment with the UNSGAB 5 year Drive for Sanitation and the recent UN Secretary General’s Call to Action for sanitation.

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Related:

Cover illustration of the special GLAAS report on Africa

GLAAS 2014 findings. Special report for Africa
WHO on behalf of UN-Water in collaboration with the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) and the African Development Bank (AfDB)

Publication details
Number of pages: 28
Publication date: 2015
Languages: English, French
WHO reference number:WHO/FWC/WSH/15.05
Downloads
Download the GLAAS 2014 special report for Africa
pdf, 1.14Mb
Special report - in French

The report highlights progress made such as in governance and increased investments in 39 African countries, and the external support agencies (ESAs) role and support in the region. It also highlights the remaining challenges such as monitoring, and the need to better target funds to reach vulnerable groups to ultimately reach universal access. These challenges, among others, are central to ongoing discussions around the proposed post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. This report is intended to serve as a resource for leaders and policy-makers in Africa as they define priorities in WASH for the next decade and beyond.

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