Practical system approaches to realise the human rights to water and sanitation: results and lessons from Uganda and Cambodia

The United Nations General Assembly's 2010 legal recognition of the human rights to water and sanitation shaped approaches of many actors working to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Persistent challenges of poor WASH sustainability, scale and inclusion are increasingly be...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: C. Kimbugwe, S. Sou, H. Crichton-Smith, F. Goff
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IWA Publishing 2022-01-01
Series:H2Open Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.2166/h2oj.2022.040
_version_ 1811335081302687744
author C. Kimbugwe
S. Sou
H. Crichton-Smith
F. Goff
author_facet C. Kimbugwe
S. Sou
H. Crichton-Smith
F. Goff
author_sort C. Kimbugwe
collection DOAJ
description The United Nations General Assembly's 2010 legal recognition of the human rights to water and sanitation shaped approaches of many actors working to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Persistent challenges of poor WASH sustainability, scale and inclusion are increasingly being tackled through system thinking and system strengthening. However, little has been written about how participatory system analysis and monitoring can equip and empower WASH actors to apply system thinking, self-assess and course-correct in their own work to improve sustainable WASH for all. WaterAid's Sustainable WASH Services at Scale (SusWASH) programme applies a system approach, underpinned by human rights principles. In this paper, we share perceptions of local stakeholders, engaged in empowerment evaluation in Cambodia and Uganda, and lessons learned for future initiatives that seek to catalyse WASH system improvements for the realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation. We argue that a system approach, underpinned by human rights principles, can help advance progress towards inclusive and sustainable WASH for all. Working in this way fosters inclusive, locally led decision-making about how system blockages can be overcome, strengthening local ownership of a shared vision for change and the capacities and skills required to achieve it. HIGHLIGHTS WaterAid's approach seeks to tackle systemic blockages to WASH sustainability, inclusion and scale.; This paper illustrates how empowerment evaluation, system concepts and human rights principles can coalesce into a practical, accessible, participatory approach that helps to strengthen WASH systems.;
first_indexed 2024-04-13T17:18:45Z
format Article
id doaj.art-9b401bbfcbcd44f2a47910c9fe62def5
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2616-6518
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T17:18:45Z
publishDate 2022-01-01
publisher IWA Publishing
record_format Article
series H2Open Journal
spelling doaj.art-9b401bbfcbcd44f2a47910c9fe62def52022-12-22T02:38:04ZengIWA PublishingH2Open Journal2616-65182022-01-0151698310.2166/h2oj.2022.040040Practical system approaches to realise the human rights to water and sanitation: results and lessons from Uganda and CambodiaC. Kimbugwe0S. Sou1H. Crichton-Smith2F. Goff3 WaterAid Uganda, Kampala, Uganda WaterAid Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia WaterAid UK, London, UK WaterAid Australia, Melbourne, Australia The United Nations General Assembly's 2010 legal recognition of the human rights to water and sanitation shaped approaches of many actors working to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Persistent challenges of poor WASH sustainability, scale and inclusion are increasingly being tackled through system thinking and system strengthening. However, little has been written about how participatory system analysis and monitoring can equip and empower WASH actors to apply system thinking, self-assess and course-correct in their own work to improve sustainable WASH for all. WaterAid's Sustainable WASH Services at Scale (SusWASH) programme applies a system approach, underpinned by human rights principles. In this paper, we share perceptions of local stakeholders, engaged in empowerment evaluation in Cambodia and Uganda, and lessons learned for future initiatives that seek to catalyse WASH system improvements for the realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation. We argue that a system approach, underpinned by human rights principles, can help advance progress towards inclusive and sustainable WASH for all. Working in this way fosters inclusive, locally led decision-making about how system blockages can be overcome, strengthening local ownership of a shared vision for change and the capacities and skills required to achieve it. HIGHLIGHTS WaterAid's approach seeks to tackle systemic blockages to WASH sustainability, inclusion and scale.; This paper illustrates how empowerment evaluation, system concepts and human rights principles can coalesce into a practical, accessible, participatory approach that helps to strengthen WASH systems.;http://doi.org/10.2166/h2oj.2022.040empowerment evaluationhuman rightsparticipatory developmentsystem approacheswash
spellingShingle C. Kimbugwe
S. Sou
H. Crichton-Smith
F. Goff
Practical system approaches to realise the human rights to water and sanitation: results and lessons from Uganda and Cambodia
H2Open Journal
empowerment evaluation
human rights
participatory development
system approaches
wash
title Practical system approaches to realise the human rights to water and sanitation: results and lessons from Uganda and Cambodia
title_full Practical system approaches to realise the human rights to water and sanitation: results and lessons from Uganda and Cambodia
title_fullStr Practical system approaches to realise the human rights to water and sanitation: results and lessons from Uganda and Cambodia
title_full_unstemmed Practical system approaches to realise the human rights to water and sanitation: results and lessons from Uganda and Cambodia
title_short Practical system approaches to realise the human rights to water and sanitation: results and lessons from Uganda and Cambodia
title_sort practical system approaches to realise the human rights to water and sanitation results and lessons from uganda and cambodia
topic empowerment evaluation
human rights
participatory development
system approaches
wash
url http://doi.org/10.2166/h2oj.2022.040
work_keys_str_mv AT ckimbugwe practicalsystemapproachestorealisethehumanrightstowaterandsanitationresultsandlessonsfromugandaandcambodia
AT ssou practicalsystemapproachestorealisethehumanrightstowaterandsanitationresultsandlessonsfromugandaandcambodia
AT hcrichtonsmith practicalsystemapproachestorealisethehumanrightstowaterandsanitationresultsandlessonsfromugandaandcambodia
AT fgoff practicalsystemapproachestorealisethehumanrightstowaterandsanitationresultsandlessonsfromugandaandcambodia