A District Level Roadmap for Universal Access to Sustainable WASH Services

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set targets for WASH that require a fundamental shift in approach to achieve the global commitment for universal and equitable access. New services need to be brought online to reach every last person, and services and service levels need to be sustained, affordable and equitable for all. To achieve this, significant changes are needed to the way the sector works and how development partners and organisations support governments to achieve their goals.

A shift is needed from piecemeal project-based initiatives, to a comprehensive long-term approach which supports permanent service delivery and strengthens local systems. Agenda for Change is a collaborative response to the shortfalls of existing approaches and was launched in 2015 by a collection of like-minded organisations with a common vision and commitment to universality and sustainability.

Agenda for Change takes the district level as its entry point, with the goal of achieving universal and sustained access across the district. The imperative is to support service authorities to develop evidence-based plans to achieving and sustaining universal access across the district and to implement these district-wide plans with the support of aligned partners, monitoring and learning together and being held accountable.

The roadmap is not prescriptive: the sequencing of activities and even whole steps need to be
adjusted to the context of a specific country or district, recognising that countries and sectors move at different speeds and are in various stages of development.

Structure of the publication:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2 outlines the key principles of Agenda for Change when applied at the global, national and district levels.
Chapter 3 provides a step-wise guide on implementing the roadmap at district level.
Chapter 4 outlines the linkage between the district-focused activities and country systems strengthening.
Chapter five: Conclusion.