UNICEF and Home Drinking Water Treatment HWTS Symposium Accra, Ghana 2 June 2008 Henk van Norden Sr. Adviser (WES), UNICEF New York
Poor hygiene, lack of access to sanitation and unsafe drinking water together contribute to about 88% of diarrhoea deaths Measles 4% Malaria 8% Pneumonia 19% New evidence showing that HWWS can reduce ARIs by up to 40% Diarrhoea 17% HIV/AIDS 3% >50% Attributable to Undernutrition Injuries, 3% Other, 10% Neonatal 37% Causes of Mortality among under-five Children
Combating Diarrhoea: New Evidence Reduction in diarrhea morbidity (%) 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Previous reviews Fewtrell et al. (2005) 0 (a) Sanitation (b) Water availability (c) Water quality (d) Hygiene promotion (e) Hand washing
Disparities between rich and poor.
So what does this mean for UNICEF WES? Continue with Water Supply, WASH-in-Schools and WASH-in-emergencies Put more focus on three essential interventions in poor households: Hygiene Promotion Sanitation Promotion Home Water Treatment
What UNICEF can bring in support of HWTS Network of 400 WASH professionals at global, regional and country level Active in emergencies and development Communication for behaviour change expertise Inter-sectoral expertise (health, education, HIV/AIDS) Support at national, sub-national and local levels Strong convening power Global monitoring: JMP (with WHO)
UNICEF support for HWTS: some principles Use in emergencies and in developmental settings: but different approaches Promote the practice, products and approaches that work, not specific products or methods Work in partnership; learning together No subsidies for individual households Stimulate demand, and market response Prioritize capacity building
HWTS: UNICEF s global role Contribute to the Global HWTS Network With partners, bring HWTS into global fora Coordinate efforts with other support agencies Recognize HWTS in global sector monitoring Advise and encourage Country Offices Increase the use of the evidence base Promote HWTS in other sectors: education, health Bring global expertise to UNICEF s support Stimulate private sector participation and promote social marketing approaches Stimulate increased donor funding for HWTS Documentation and dissemination of best practices
HWTS: UNICEF support in countries Build on existing initiatives Learn, plan, implement with partners Get Government on board Basic learning: pilot projects (if needed) Support scaling up: Stimulate private production and marketing Stimulate household demand Broaden the range of products Raise additional funds for HWTS promotion Work with social marketing organizations Promote HWTS in other sectors: education, health Continued learning, with partners Join the global HWTS Network
HWTS: UNICEF support in countries examples: India: home defluoridation, arsenic removal Bangladesh: home arsenic removal Cambodia: hh ceramic filters; micro-enterprise Mozambique: home water chlorination, with PSI Angola: home water chlorination, with PSI DRC: home water chlorination, with PSI Guinea: home water chlorination, with PSI Tanzania: home water chlorination, with PSI Kenya: home water filters Nicaragua: bio-sand filters Malawi: home water chlorination, with PSI Ethiopia: home water chlorination
UNICEF support for HWTS: challenges Staff unfamiliar with evidence base Working with the private sector Using commercial and social marketing Communication for behavioral change Traditional government partner does not recognize responsibility for HWTS Limited expertise for strengthening HWTS HWTS not counted towards MDG coverage UNICEF s decentralized structure
MDG 7c and HWTS JMP global mechanism for monitoring progress: HWTS not counted to coverage JMP ensured the inclusion of relevant questions in major household surveys JMP now has information of HWT in 70 countries, initial results in JMP 2008 report JMP contracted Tom Clasen to examine the available data and advise on way forward
JMP and HWT Initial findings from hh surveys: Treating drinking water is quite common Mongolia, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Honduras, Thailand, Uganda, India, Haiti: more than one-third of all households report treatment Most common: boiling, chlorination, home filters Least common: solar disinfection Not all reported treatment would make water safe JMP will report on drinking water safety and monitoring in 2009
Prioritize HWTS Summary Committed to work in partnership Build capacity of our staff Closely monitor the evidence