IRC 2010 Symposium - Synthesis report

More than 120 sector professionals gathered from 27 countries in The Hague to discuss and debate under the banner of the IRC Symposium 2010 – Pumps, Pipes and Promises. Over three days from 16-18 November they presented, heard and discussed almost 40 papers related to the three streams of costs, finances and accountability.

The IRC 2010 Symposium reflected a shift in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector towards the primacy of services over infrastructure, understanding the need for much greater clarity in planning and financing services that reach people with the regularity and quality they demand.

In particular it demonstrated the need for data that can be understood and used by those who make decisions about finance, where accountability and transparency are a prism through which cost data can be revealed, shared and acted on. Some of the key questions that emerged from the Symposium are practical ones: What are the real disaggregated costs of providing services?  What are the best models for financing post construction costs, especially maintenance and support costs? Which financing source should pay for what cost element?

This is the synthesis out of the discussions.