In the Central African Republic, the Mutual Accountability Mechanism has helped stakeholders to position and keep the water, sanitation and hygiene sector as a high government priority, and to mobilize resources. In 2019, the Government developed its Mutual Accountability Mechanism commitments to align with national objectives outlined in the Plan du Relèvement et la Consolidation de la Paix (‘Plan for Recovery and Peacebuilding’). They commit the Government to: providing access to services for an additional 500,000 people; creating a dedicated budget line for sanitation and hygiene; and revising national plans for the sector to better align them with the SDGs. With such clear priorities set, UNICEF, for example, has been better able to offer specific support to the Government to help realize its ambitions, and monitor progress on commitments made.
Significant progress has been made on these national commitments, which is even more impressive given the instability arising from the political situation. By October 2020, a new national water policy had been drafted and technically validated; an additional 516,000 persons had access to services (191,000 to drinking water and 325,000 to basic sanitation), and details of dedicated budget lines for sanitation and hygiene had been drafted.