Symposium focus, programme, set-up & topics

The symposium will provide a global platform for sharing the latest initiatives, tools, indicators and experiences and will consist of parallel sessions, with plenary debates.The umbrella theme of monitoring sustainable WASH services has been organised into six different topics.

Thematic focus: Understanding WASH sector monitoring

The number of initiatives to strengthen WASH service delivery monitoring is growing. New tools are being developed and international indicators are being refined. The Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery Symposium 2013 will provide a global platform for sharing these initiatives, tools, indicators and experiences.

Programme & set-up

The three-day symposium will consist of parallel sessions, with two plenary debates on the alignment between project monitoring and government led monitoring, as well as the alignment between global and national monitoring. The updated programme is available here.

Plenary presentations

Presentations from the opening plenaries on each day

Topic 1: Monitoring the finance needed for service delivery

Topic 1 of the symposium is led by Catarina Fonseca (IRC/WASHCost) and is divided into different sessions which will explore financing sustainable WASH service delivery.

Topic 2: Government-led and country-wide monitoring

Topic 2 of the symposium is led by Kerstin Danert (RWSN) and focuses on sharing experiences of government-led monitoring. Based on 12 case studies, five sessions will enable participants to understand the different approaches at local and national levels around the world.

Topic 3: Project monitoring

Topic 3 is led by Harold Lockwood (Aguaconsult and IRC/Triple-S). This topic will explore the benefits and downsides of ‘project’ monitoring. We will hear from representatives of development partners and national governments who will explore both sides of the equation. On the one hand, we will look at the new and innovative aspects brought on by ‘project’ monitoring, including the move towards monitoring service levels and sustainability of services provided over time. On the other hand, we will also look at development partners who monitor performance of their own projects, and the problems this creates for actively supporting and harmonising national monitoring systems.

Topic 4: ICT for monitoring sustainable service delivery

Topic 4 is led by Joseph Pearce (WaterAid). The “ICT for monitoring sustainable service delivery” sessions will review the latest innovations through a series of presentations, case studies, and debates. Divided into five sub-themes, sessions will investigate the factors for successful design and implementation of ICT systems, review the latest in application of automated systems for data collection, showcase the processes and technologies applied in project and national monitoring systems, and debate the use of data for decision making.

Topic 5: Monitoring sanitation and hygiene services

Topic 5 of the symposium is led by Carolien van der Voorden (WSSCC) deal with monitoring issues faced by the hygiene and sanitation sub-sector. Case studies and larger multi-country analytical perspectives will be discussed and challenged during the symposium in order to gain understanding of what works and where we are in terms of appropriately aligning systematic sanitation and monitoring approaches.

Topic 6: Global-regional-national WASH monitoring

Topic 6 is led by Piers Cross in collaboration with Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS). This topic presents different global/regional and national monitoring initiatives and discuss the challenges of alignment, coordination, and priority setting for post-2015. Sessions will investigate important questions including: what can be done to improve alignment and better use of global data in countries? How can global monitoring systems strengthen monitoring at the national and sub-national levels? Is there overlap and duplication between global monitoring systems? Is valuable data lost or overlooked by having too many monitoring systems? Where should priorities be set? Where is monitoring most needed, for which purpose, and for whom?