Working together to improve aid effectiveness in the water sector

Year of publication: 2009

Until now, it has not been possible to assess levels of European Union Member States’ funding to water supply and sanitation separately, using existing sources of information. This mapping exercise, initiated by the Africa Working Group of the European Union Water Initiative (EUWIAWG), will help to address this problem. This is particularly important, given the commitment made by African leaders in Durban in February 2008 to have separate allocations for sanitation as described in the eThekwini Declaration on Sanitation.

This exercise has confirmed that, despite difficulties and statistical constraints, it is feasible to disaggregate the Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the water sector from European Union donors into the three component sub sectors of sanitation and hygiene, water supply (WASH) and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), and to map these aid flows geographically to African recipients.

30% of European ODA to the WASH sector in Africa is allocated to sanitation and hygiene. Whilst sanitation is the most off track MDG target, we do not have a benchmark figure against which to judge whether or not this proportional allocation is sufficient.

This report is also available online in French.

- Download:

EUWI-AWG finalreport Eng Dec 2008.pdf (1.9 MB)