WASH ROAD MAP
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      • 1.1 ''WASH Hub'' online platform
      • 1.2 Core data repository and tools
      • 1.3 WASH Severity Classification
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      • 1.5 Research and Innovation
    • Capacity and profesionnalisation >
      • 2.1 Training courses offerings WASH learning portal
      • 2.2 Competency framework-based certification mechanism
      • 2.3 Scaling up and localization for learning systems in humanitarian WASH
    • Coordination and partnership >
      • 3.2 Specialized expertise for the WASH sector
      • 3.3 Integration and coordination of WASH into public health issues
      • 3.4 Multi-sectoral integration and coordination of WASH
      • 3.5 Humanitarian Development Peace Nexus Framework
      • 3.6 Field Support Team
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      • 4.1 Secretariat of the WASH Road Map
      • 4.2 Sector Development and Strenghtening
      • 4.3 Advocacy for sector strengthening
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      • UN 2023 Water Conference
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      • Groundwater&humanitarian aid panel discussion
      • Research Virtual Coffee
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3.3 WASH Integration and coordination into public health issues
  Humanitarian WASH as an integral part of public and environmental health priorities 

WASH interventions are critical to achieving effective public health outcomes. Unsafe drinking water, inadequate water availability for hygiene, and lack of access to sanitation coupled with lack of safe hygiene practices contribute to approximately 88% of deaths from diarrheal diseases, or approximately 829,000 preventable deaths per year worldwide, including 297,000 in children under five[1]. It is also a major cause of malnutrition: lack of access to safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services is estimated to be responsible for about 50% of global malnutrition[2].
This situation occurs when people are exposed to epidemics, affected by conflicts and/or forced to flee their homes. In such emergencies, people often lack access to safe, clean water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene because water supply and sanitation systems are damaged, destroyed or inexistent. In protracted crises, children under five are 20 times more likely to die from diarrheal diseases due to poor access to water and sanitation than to conflict-related violence[3].
​Regarding the fight against public health emergencies and epidemics, frequent and safe hand hygiene is one of the most critical measures that can be utilized to prevent further infection.Access to quality WASH services in terms of quality and quantity is thus an important sector of humanitarian and public health responses to achieve good public health outcomes.
Although this is a known fact, over the last decade, the humanitarian community’s public health responses to emergencies have struggled to provide life-saving relief while addressing the underlying causes of infectious disease. The WASH sector has often failed to assume a critical and proactive role in improving health outcomes. The sector will also need to develop an in-depth understanding of the relationship between public health and the environment. Indeed, environmental degradation and climate change are key challenges to reducing the spread of infectious diseases, and aspects such as water resource management, air and soil pollution control, human waste treatment and management, must be taken as primary considerations.
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For this purpose, this initiative aims to achieve a systematic integration of WASH, Health, Nutrition sectors, and other sectors if relevant, in responding to public health emergencies. To this end, a set of tools, processes, mechanisms, and frameworks (Joint Operational Framework) will be developed in collaboration with these sectors making WASH the center of excellence to enable these joint responses.
This will be embodied in the development of key intersectoral workstreams with the WASH sector, to promote an integrated response towards outbreaks and other public emergencies and of a framework for roles and accountabilities of WASH responses in health emergencies. But this will also necessitate developing an integrated positioning of WASH, Health and Nutrition sectors (global, regional and national levels), based on R4ACT evidence-based recommendations to ensure its consistent adoption in humanitarian action and correspondence in the humanitarian response plan.

[1] Source : https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-sanitation-and-hygiene/
[2] https://www.unicef.org/stories/4-things-you-need-know-about-water-and-famine
[3] Water under Fire, Rapport UNICEF 2019



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Provisional total budget:

195 000 USD

Synergies with:
Initiative 1.1
Initiative's progress graph

Work in progress, will be uploaded soon.

LED BY:
PARTICIPANTS:
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Global WASH Cluster, International Organisation of Migration and UN International Children Emergency Fund 

CONTRIBUTORS:

International Committee of the Red Cross, International Refugee Council, London School of Hygien and Tropical Medicine, Solidarités International and World Health Organisation 

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  • The collective
    • Historic
    • Strategy
    • Internal organisation >
      • Committees and Collective
      • Engaged actors
      • The Secretariat
    • Join us!
  • The initiatives
    • Information and knowledge >
      • 1.1 ''WASH Hub'' online platform
      • 1.2 Core data repository and tools
      • 1.3 WASH Severity Classification
      • 1.4 Accountability and Quality Approach
      • 1.5 Research and Innovation
    • Capacity and profesionnalisation >
      • 2.1 Training courses offerings WASH learning portal
      • 2.2 Competency framework-based certification mechanism
      • 2.3 Scaling up and localization for learning systems in humanitarian WASH
    • Coordination and partnership >
      • 3.2 Specialized expertise for the WASH sector
      • 3.3 Integration and coordination of WASH into public health issues
      • 3.4 Multi-sectoral integration and coordination of WASH
      • 3.5 Humanitarian Development Peace Nexus Framework
      • 3.6 Field Support Team
    • Funding and advocacy >
      • 4.1 Secretariat of the WASH Road Map
      • 4.2 Sector Development and Strenghtening
      • 4.3 Advocacy for sector strengthening
  • Call To Action
  • Sector News
    • External events and publications >
      • 2021 World Water Week
      • 2022 World Water Forum
      • UN 2023 Water Conference
    • Actors events and publications
    • Internal events >
      • Advocacy Virtual Coffee & Workshop
      • Funding Virtual Coffee
      • Groundwater&humanitarian aid panel discussion
      • Research Virtual Coffee
      • UN2023WC and GWS Virtual Coffee
  • Resources
    • Public documentation
    • Internal documentation