US Government Strategies on Water
Under the Sen. Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act enacted by Congress in 2005 and amended by the Sen. Paul Simon Water for World Act of 2014, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administers development aid for water, sanitation, and hygiene. The law directs USAID to lead a multi-agency strategic plan for US Government leadership in WASH, and specifically for USAID to do its own implementation strategy, revised every five years.
Even though the 2005 act required USAID to produce its first strategy a year after passage, it took until 2013 for the agency to complete one. MWA and other NGOs helped USAID review its program implementation globally and chart a course for WASH programming for 2013-2018, resulting in the USAID Water and Development Strategy (see link below).
Later, as directed in the 2014 act, USAID led 15 other federal agencies and departments in the creation of the first-ever U.S. Government Global Water Strategy, published November 2017 (see link below).
The Water and Development and Development Strategy, 2013-2018
USAID and DoS
MWA works with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State (DoS) to advance the US goal of helping to bring better water and sanitation to the world’s poorest people. Inadequate access to safe drinking water and safe sanitation methods, and poor understanding of the impact of hygiene, constitute one of the largest – and most fixable – stumbling blocks to improving the daily lives of millions of people.
Striving to meet that goal is profoundly in the interest of the American people. Better health conditions in developing nations can lead to better school attendance (especially by young girls, for whom education is essential to giving them a chance at a better life), greater ability to produce food and build a productive economy, and help create stronger civil society institutions that fight corruption, secure freedom, and lead to political stability.
Reducing poverty and helping nations to graduate from aid (as many nations have already done over the years) are key goals of American foreign policy, through all Democratic and Republican Administrations and Congresses.
MWA and its 11 member organizations are committed to working with USAID and DoS to help the United States play its leadership role in more effective global development, to help nations move away from foreign assistance and to become more self-reliant. Our goal is to reduce water and sanitation poverty specifically, and to pursue that goal through many means and many partnerships.
Key Facts
Most Americans don’t know that most US government funding for poverty-reduction is actually implemented in partnerships with US-based NGOs, such as MWA’s members.
Most foreign aid is not simply “given away” to foreign governments, as some Americans mistakenly believe. Much of it is invested in programs run by US charities and US contractors, in the nonprofit and private sectors. Americans should know that USAID demands accountability and transparency in its programs. MWA members – all of them are US-based charities well-known to the American people – know USAID to be an absolutely essential partner in our global efforts.
MWA members draw their funding from a range of sources.
Our work is funded by the small and large donations of individual Americans, by foundations such as the Hilton Foundation and corporations such as Coca-Cola and Procter and Gamble, and by key partnerships with the US government and multilateral government-sponsored institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank.
Key Facts
Much of our work would not be possible without the active role of USAID.
The US, along with governments such as the Netherlands and Germany, not only provide critical funding, but they also bring organizations together and share knowledge that helps us to make programs more effective.
The US is not alone.
Addressing the inadequate WASH conditions for nearly 2 billion people is impossible for any one nation to address alone. In 2014, the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of improving access to safe drinking water by 2015 for at least half of the nearly 1 billion people who then did not have was met two years ahead of schedule, according the the Joint Monitoring Program estimate. In 2016, the total number without safe water access was estimated to be 643 million, a remarkable achievement over the past several a year – but a milestone on a road that requires years of commitment ahead to bring to zero.
The MDG of halving the number of people with poor sanitation (the safe treatment of wastes) – estimated to be nearly 2 billion, however, is far from being achieved. That this seems so daunting does not mean it is hopeless – indeed, the millions who have improved access today, thanks in part to the work of MWA members, are proof positive that effective public-private partnership can bring real results.
Sanitation and Water for All
We are especially pleased that USAID joined Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) as a full partner, representing the entire US Government. (See the 2013 announcement in our News section.)
MWA and several MWA members are recognized as NGO members in SWA.