By Washington Watson- Onewash9@gmail.com
MONROVIA-WaterAid Liberia has commenced a three -day country programme strategy workshop in Monrovia.
The workshop started Monday in Monrovia and assembles stakeholders of the Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) sector.
The initiative is part of the Process for the development of WaterAid new five- year country program strategy.
Speaking during the opening of the workshop, WaterAid Liberia Country Director, Chuchu Selma said the gathering was going to focus on four things that will be inclusive of the WaterAid globe strategy.
According to him, the strategy will be in line with the global direction of WaterAid, stressing that WaterAid Liberia has taken the initiative to design its own strategy to fit in the overall target of the Global Strategy.
He told the stakeholders that they will be depending on them for their input and to bring in additional value to the work that they have done.
Selma stressed that; based on inputs by the stakeholders, they will be able to finalize the document.
Giving the overview of the Global Strategy, Madam Lucy Flaws of WaterAid indicated that they have chosen systemic barriers within the WASH sector.
She named insufficient political leadership and low prioritization of WASH, in particular sanitation and hygiene.
Additionally, she indicated that the insufficient financial resources allocated or properly used to preserve WASH progress were some of the barriers confronting WASH.
Madam Flaws also highlighted environmental degradation and weak management of water resources, exacerbated by climate change, including weakness in capacity in the institutions responsible for WASH.
She noted that people and communities unable to hold those responsible for the delivery of WASH sector to account are also obstacles.
Madam Flaws told the gathering that, that WASH is critical for human health and dignity.
She said the government needs to put WASH at the center of national development including adequate quality and quantity of financing that is used efficiently to deliver services to all, as the drivers of change within the WASH Sector.
Also speaking was the Chie Executive Officer of the WAS Commission Bobby Whitfield said development partners are supporting the WASH sector including the World Bank.
He said the World Bank has spent over fifty million United States dollars in supporting the wash sector.
Whitfield said they at WASH Commission are responsible to set the standard of the WASH Sector and monitor the standard in full.
He told the gathering that there is a need for WaterAid Liberia to add WASH governance in their new programme, adding that Wash financing and equitable distribution of WASH services across the country and monitoring including evaluation, will happen through governance.
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