Learning from implementation of the sanitation and hygiene master plan in Nepal

This briefing paper has been prepared based on the basis of field level experiences. It highlights the emerging decentralized leadership in the WASH sector in light of the Master Plan and ODF movement in Nepal. The Master Plan has introduced innovative institutional arrangement of inclusive WASH Coordination Committees to lead ODF movement. These committees leadership of such committees hashave come up with several innovations in planning, financing, implementation and monitoring, and promoting inclusive and participatory governance process in sanitation development. Nepal's sanitation campaign has visibly scaled up ODF status despite some shortcomings. Mobilization of local resources is possible through local leadership, sustainability requires equal emphasis on behavioural and facility aspects and advocacy for health benefits of the improved sanitation are the prime drivers for changes. Similarly, cross-learning are vital for innovations in the sector and integration of sanitation with other development sector activities enhances synergy. The post-ODF intervention is leading the sanitation sector towards livelihood promotion and social wellbeing aspect too

Equity and inclusion in WASH in Nepal: policy and practice

The inclusive governance in Nepal's drinking water and sanitation sector is a recent phenomenon though several sector policies, plans and other framework had promoted gender, inclusion and community's leadership. The engagement of local level Water Users' and Sanitation Committees is an exclusive example of decentralized arrangement of community management in WASH. These national instruments had enabled inclusion of women and people from disadvantaged communities in the committees and advocated for equity in investment and service delivery. In the past, such policy provisions were poorly complied in the absence of high level political commitments, participatory planning, pragmatic guiding documents and robust monitoring frameworks. The prevailing wider gap in access to drinking water and sanitation services among different groups substantiates this fact. Systematic advocacy, capacity development, enforcement of constitutional and policy provisions, research and studies, review and reflections and knowledge sharing seems crucial to ensure equity and inclusion in the WASH sector

Innovative sanitation social movement: experiences from Nepal

Sanitation sector in Nepal remained a low priority till 2010. From 2010, the Government of Nepal prioritized sanitation and hygiene through creating enabling policy environment, inclusive planning, decentralized service delivery arrangement, and transforming sanitation promotion to social movement. The sanitation and hygiene master plan developed in 2011 provided a clear road map as well as set a national target of achieving universal access to improved sanitation by 2017. Social sanitation movement included triggering through school and community led interventions, socio-cultural festivals, sector triggering, decentralized governance, multi-sector collaboration and pro-active engagement of grassroot level actors. As a result access to improved sanitation increased dramatically from 43% in 2010 to 87% in 2016. Despite the huge progress, Nepal has to address a number of issues related to disparity in sanitation coverage and poor hygiene behaviors. There is a strong need of social norms for eliminating certain cultural dogmas especially around menstrual hygiene