Governance, accountability and aid effectiveness: Towards sustainable rural water services

1. Governance, accountability and aid effectiveness:Towards sustainable rural water services A paper presented by CWSA/IRC Triple-S at the 22nd MOLE Conference of the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation, 9th-13th August, 2011 Vida Duti, Country Team Leader, Triple-S Ghana

2. What this presentation covers • What do we mean by governance, accountability and aid effectiveness? • How do governance, accountability and aid effectiveness contribute to sustainability? • What are the fundamental building blocks for sustainable water services? • Steps by which CWSA in collaboration with IRC /Triple-S is working to increase awareness of the challenges faced in making rural water services sustainable, and using this awareness as a basis for identifying areas for reform and innovation. • What are the missing pieces of the building blocks for sustainable water services in the Ghana rural water sector? • What are we doing to fill the gaps? CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

3. Good governance • Good governance is about political parties, parliament, the judiciary, the media, and civil society • It is about how citizens, leaders and public institutions relate to each other in order to make change happen • Good governance requires three things: • State capability – leaders and governments who are able to get things done. • Responsiveness – public policies and institutions that respond to the needs of citizens and uphold their rights. • Accountability –citizens, civil society and the private sector are able to scrutinise public institutions and governments and hold them to account. CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

4. Accountability Service Authority Accountability service delivery obligations Accountability for access to services Voice, needs, legal rights Service agreement and regulation Water services provision Citizens / clients Service Provider Payment for services CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011 de la Harpe (2011)

5. Aid Effectiveness Aid Effectiveness is about improving the quality of aid and its impact on development CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

6. How do governance, accountability and aid effectiveness contribute to sustainability? • Some development partners, donors, and NGOs believe that large amounts of aid directly invested in projects will result in positive development outcomes. • However, years of experience have shown that donor driven projects do not, on their own, always result in sustainable services. • An exclusive focus on projects undermines country ownership and capacity building of country structures and systems, thereby introducing a cycle as presented below CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

7. Development partner/donor response • Project aid • Projects tend to focus on infrastructure rather than service provision • Projects are not aligned to sector policy • Independent systems are used • No arrangements for ongoing services provision • State of the sector • Weak sector policy • Lack of coordination • Poor planning • Weak sector institutions • Poor accountability and governance • Unsustainable services Vicious circle of traditional aid • Where there is no ‘aid effectiveness’ • No focus on an enabling sector environment • No attention o sector policies, a national sector plan or a sector MTEF • No sector coordination and donor harmonisation • No capacity building • No arrangements for ongoing services provision CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011 de la Harpe (2011)

8. A more effective approach acknowledges the importance of working with and through governments structures, strengthening them in the process • It does not necessarily completely do away with projects – but it makes sure that the environment to allow projects to achieve their goals is also addressed CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

9. State of the sector • Weak sector policy • Lack of coordination • Poor planning • Weak sector institutions • Poor accountability and governance • Unsustainable services • Improved sector • Stronger sector policy • A single sector budget that supports sector policy objectives • Sector coordination • Sector capacity strengthened • Improved sector governance, accountability and transparency • More sustainable services provision Virtuous circle aid effectiveness • Development partner/donor response • Shift to budget and sector budget support • Aid aligned to country policies and priorities • Aid is managed through country systems • Aid supports service delivery rather than a narrow focus on infrastructure • Donors harmonise , coordinate, dialogue • Impact of aid effectiveness focus • Focus on country ownership, sector policies and national planning • Efforts to coordinate • Increased focus on performance monitoring and results • Focus on strengthening sector governance • Focus on development effectiveness CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

10. Pathway to sustainable development Aid effectiveness helps a lot – but we still need good governance and accountability at all levels ... CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

11. Maximising benefits of aid effectiveness To maximise the benefits of aid effectiveness, the rural Water sector will require the following: • Clear nationally-led strategies for service delivery, supported by development partners and other actors who are aligned behind national service delivery model(s) • Agreement and implementation of commonly-accepted approaches, tools and standards as specified in country-specific service delivery model(s) • Clarity for consumers and service providers about the service delivery model(s) including • expected levels of service • institutional roles and responsibilities CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

12. So what are the building blocks for a sustainable sector • The sector internationally and in Ghana has identified a range of building blocks for sustainability CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

13. IRC – Principles Framework CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

14. WaterAid – Sector building blocks WaterAid, 2011 CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

15. AMCOW Country Status Overviews AMCOW, 2010 CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

16. Not one size fit all • Putting this into practice requires context-specific building blocks within the frame of what is relevant to the realities of the country. CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

17. Identifying building blocks for Sustainable rural water services in Ghana • IRC/Triple-S has supported CWSA to conduct an analysis of the rural water sector in Ghana • using the Principle Framework as a guide. • Through a research study of the rural water sector of Ghana. • The analysis showed that most of what is required to provide sustainable rural water is already in place in Ghana. • There are however missing pieces and linkages that require attention CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

18. What’s missing for Ghana WASH sector? Weak harmonisation and alignment Gap between policy and practice Weak service authority capacity Lack of regulatory framework Emphasis on construction not services Fragmentation of approaches Unclear financial policy for post construction support Unclear roles and responsibilities District role not defined CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

19. What are we doing to fill the gaps • Heightened awareness on the issue of sustainability • Piloting District Ownership and Management as a key missing element of the broader Community Ownership and Management service delivery model in three regions/district. • An agreement by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency and the World Bank to test SDA through implementation of the Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Project under the World Bank IDA 75 million US$ credit facility. • Revision and alignment of existing sector guidelines to include elements of the service delivery approach. • Discussion on establishing sector information system is underway • Development and use of sustainability and functionality indicators based on the National Norms and Standards for Water services • CWSA is developing a framework (based on sustainability and functionality indicators) to undertake a national sustainability audit and functionality mapping exercise on existing systems • Significant progress towards establishing the institutional and financing framework for sector harmonization and coordination – SSDP, SWAP Roadmap and workshops, signing of code of conduct, high level sector retreats etc. CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

20. Steps to address the missing pieces Sector harmonization framework- SSDP, SWAP roadmap and code of conducts National guidelines and agreed strategic approach Sustainability and functionality indicators Piloting of District Ownership and management concept On-going dialogue on sector financing- to clarify role and establish innovative mechanisms for post construction support and capital maintenance, Initiated process to enact LI for regulation CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

21. Conclusion • Achieving sustainable services requires many components to be addressed • policy/strategy, planning and budgeting, financing, performance monitoring, harmonization and alignment etc • Good governance, accountability and the principles of aid effectiveness (ownership, harmonisation, alignment, management for results and mutual accountability) are all key components for sustainable WASH services • In our WASH sector we are taking steps to ensure a good governance framework and improved service delivery CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

22. . • . Government has an unavoidable role to play in this, as the only actor with the legitimacy to lead the sector in the provision of sustainable water services. Yet, while government can lead the way, it will require the active support of national and international partners and financiers NGOs have a crucial role to play in ensuring sustainable service delivery through facilitation, holding service providers to account, advocating for the poorest and encouraging innovation. CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

23. “If you go alone, you will go fast, but if we go together we will go far” • Sustainability is our ultimate vision, but it takes time and attention. • Let’s all commit to an accountable, sustainable sector that is well governed and thus make aid in the sector more effective CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011

24. Points for reflection • What are the implications of a service delivery paradigm for NGOs?- Governance, accountability and aid effectiveness • How do we tackle critical sector financing issues: capital maintenance and direct support • Role of DAs in providing WASH services- how do we ensure that they play their role; how do we support them; how do we hold them accountable? • How do we align our interventions to shared sector policy, strategy, plans , standards and norms? ( SWAP, SSDP, DWSPs etc) CWSA/IRC Triple-S Mole XXII August 10,2011