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Global WASH Cluster
GWC Monthly Newsletter #4
10 / 05 / 2022
Dear colleagues,
 
Welcome to the fourth edition of the GWC 2022 Monthly Newsletter! We are pleased to share in this issue the launch of the Global WASH Cluster's 2022-2025 strategic plan, key updates from technical working groups, operational updates from the field, and fresh news from partner organizations including UN-Water, FAO, Save the Children, WHO, The Lancet, UNICEF, IASC and others. 

We are also looking forward to hosting the 26th GWC Annual Meeting on the 16th - 17th May, as a hybrid event in Budapest with our GWC members and National Coordination Platforms (NCPs). The meeting will focus on developing the implementation plan and monitoring framework of the new GWC Strategic Plan. The event will be followed by the Emergency Environmental Health Forum (EEHF) from 18-19th May 2022.

In addition, key documents from national coordination platforms are also featured in the operational update section. Highlights from countries this month showcase the Ukraine WASH Cluster Dashboard and the North East Syria WASH Working Group Briefing Note on Humanitarian Impact of Water Shortages.
 
We remind all that we value showcasing the incredible work national coordination platforms and partners are doing around the world, so please send us your photos, stories, and other content to highlight the work of your team or draw attention to issues that matter to you. Read our submission guidelines here. All items can be sent directly for inclusion in the next newsletter by Friday, 27th May 2022 to globalwashcluster@gmail.com

Thank you for your attention and we hope you will find this insightful!

Best regards,
CAST (The Cluster Advocacy and Support Team)
 
Photo credits: © UNICEF/UN0595956/Andriananten
GWC Collaborations and News
GWC Strategic Plan 2022-2025

Last week we launched the Global WASH Cluster (GWC)'s Strategic Plan 2022-2025.

The strategy is a result of collaboration and contributions from GWC’s members, working in the humanitarian water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector across international organizations, United Nations agencies, international non-governmental organizations, academic institutes and donors, along with National Coordination Platforms (NCP).

The CAST would like to express appreciation for the efforts of the GWC’s members and NCPs who contributed to this strategy. In particular, we are very grateful for the contributions and valuable inputs from Action Contre la Faim, the European Commission’s Directorate-General of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Norwegian Church Aid, RedR UK, Solidarités International, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Welthungerhilfe and the NCPs from Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan, the State of Palestine and Ukraine. 

Download here

GWC Technical Working Groups (TWIGs) Updates

Hygiene promotion TWIG Speaker Series
Many thanks to those who were able to join us for our first Hygiene Promotion Technical Working Group Speaker Series events on the topics of Incontinence in humanitarian settings and the for the link between Hygiene and Mental Health – please do share the links widely with your colleagues.

Our next Speaker Series session will be on the topic of Hygiene Promotion and Cholera Control and will be held on 12th May, 13:00 CEST. To register for the session, please sign up using the ZOOM link to join.

Hygiene promotion TWIG Survey

The Global WASH Cluster’s Hygiene Promotion in Emergencies Technical Working Group (GWC HPiE-TWG) is planning its work for the upcoming year (2022-2023) and would like to explore ways to best support the hygiene promotion work conducted by member organizations of the national coordination platforms. This survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please take the short survey here.

FSM TWIG - Sanitation Quality Standards for Emergencies Webinar Recording
Earlier this month, PRO-WASH and the Global WASH Cluster's Faecal Sludge Management Technical Working Group co-organized a webinar on the recently issued Sanitation Quality Standards for Emergencies. These standards help the WASH sector meet the growing challenges of providing effective fecal sludge management in emergency contexts. You can now view the recordings and presentations in multiple languages. 

Did you miss it? Recordings and presentations are now available from the webinar on Sanitation Quality Standards for Emergencies. Read more here.

 
Operational Updates
The Global WASH Cluster provides Operational Support for coordination platforms in humanitarian emergencies through deployments and remote support. The support is provided by the Field Support Team (FST), a consortium of WASH agencies providing 6 staff (3 x coordinators, 2 x information managers, and 1 x assessment specialist) with the support and oversight of the GWC-Cluster Advocacy and Support Team (CAST). To access these services national coordinators or information managers can send an email or inquiry to gwchelp@unicef.org (GWC Help Desk). 
Field Support Team (FST) Annual Report 2021
 
The FST Annual Report 2021 highlights deployments, remote support and other key data around operational support in coordination, information management or assessment. The FST received 18 new requests for deployment in 2021:

● 13 requests were responded to by the FST (7 in Cluster Coordination, 4 in Information Management and 2 in Assessment.).

● 4 requests were answered by consultants (2 in Cluster Coordination, 1 in Information Management and 1 in Assessment).

● 1 request was answered by a regular staff from ACF.


Read more here.

Stories from the Field - WASH Cluster Coordination Support to Ukraine

7.7 million people have been displaced within Ukraine as of end of April 2022. Some 13 million people are estimated to be stranded in affected areas or unable to leave due to heightened security risks, destruction of infrastructures, or lack of resources. Delivery of life-saving aid remains challenging, with lacking safe humanitarian access. According to UNICEF and WASH partners, 1.4 million people are currently without running water across eastern Ukraine; an additional 4.6 million people across Ukraine are at risk of losing access to piped water. Missile attacks were reported around Kherson, Kyiv, Mariupol and Mykolaiv, as well as in the western city of Lviv on 18 April. Mariupol is expected to be completely cut off and the situation in Kherson remains dire.

Facing this important and complex challenge, multiple and combined FST support was requested before and after the L3 declaration. This additional capacity has been provided for 3 months from 7th January by Cristina Mena Lander, Cluster Coordinator with Action against Hunger (ACF), followed by Karl Lellouche, Cluster Coordinator with Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), currently in the position since the 3rd of April, in addition to a one-month virtual deployment by Jason Searle, Information Manager, IMMAP, from the 19th of April onwards and remote support from Rebecka Rydberg, Assessment Specialist, IMPACT. During this period, the combination of those several additional supports was instrumental.

Priorities embraced in this joint FST support are: overall coordination with WASH partners, support to national water companies to identify emergency & long-term repairs, engagement of partners in water quality, assessment and gender as well as the development of IM processes and tools to effectively coordinate the WASH response
 
Read more on the Ukraine WASH Cluster Website.
Field Support Team (FST) Deployments - WASH Cluster Coordination Support to Zambezia Province, Mozambique - Direct Mission
 
Mozambique was hit by tropical cyclone Gombe on 11th March 2022, triggering massive floods and significant destruction to critical WASH infrastructures in Zambezia, Nampula, and Sofala provinces, further decreasing access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services. Cyclone Gombe made landfall near the areas where tropical storm Ana and tropical depression Dumako had struck only six weeks before, exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities. Gombe affected 736,015 people. In addition, there is a major public health concern as cholera and acute watery diarrhea cases are reported in Sofala and Zambezia provinces. 

The FST was requested to provide operational support on the coordination of the WASH response, develop the WASH cluster preparedness and response plan, and support on information management. The FST deployed Abdoulaye Diallo, WASH Cluster Coordinator with Action Contre la Faim (ACF), as sub-national WASH Cluster Coordinator to Zambezia, Mozambique, from 7th April 2022 until the beginning of June 2022. 

The main focus of the mission is to support the development of the Flash Appeal, conduct operational partners mapping and provide WASH sector operational updates to inform the OCHA Flash update, and build a cholera and acute watery diarrhea cases database to support operational monitoring and planning. The support also includes the provision of guidance to enhance coordination mechanisms at sub-national levels, and develop a WASH cluster preparedness and response plans.
 
Read more on the Mozambique WASH Sector Website here.
GWC Operational Support 

GWC Planned Webinars
In the second quarter of 2022, the GWC has planned several operational support events for National Coordination Platforms (NCPs) such as AAP, GBV Risk Mitigation and Disability Inclusion in HNO and HRPs, Visualization and Gap Analysis, as well as the HNO 2023 WASH Sectoral Guidance.

GWC Recent Webinars
We are sharing with you the links to the recorded presentations from previous webinars held by the GWC CAST and FST to National Coordination Platforms (NCPs).

2022 Assessment Strategy 2022 – recording and PPT here 
Response Monitoring Frameworks and 4Ws - materials and recording here
IM Diagnostic and Framework 2022 - materials here
Coordination Performance and Prioritization 2022 - materials here
 
2021 webinars are available here.
   

GWC Coordination Toolkit
We also remind all that the GWC Coordination Toolkit is our live resource for guidance in all matters for coordination, information management and assessments. 

Resources and Tools from National Coordination Platforms - April 2022:
We encourage all National Coordination Platforms to send their examples, guidance, tools on coordination, information management, assessment and technical guidelines/documents directly to: globalwashcluster@gmail.com
Partner Updates
UNICEF WASH - Key Updates and New Resources

Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT) - 2nd Edition
WASH FIT (the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool) is a risk-based, quality improvement tool for health care facilities, covering key aspects of WASH services: water; sanitation; hand hygiene; environmental cleaning; health care waste management; and selected aspects of energy, building and facility management.
 
The first edition of WASH FIT was published in 2018 and as of 2022 is in use in over 40 countries. This second edition responds to user requests for more indicators and has an emphasis on climate, gender equality and inclusion, and prevention (WASH in support of prevention of all avoidable infections in health care) with linkages to infection prevention, antimicrobial resistance and quality of care. A launch webinar was jointly organized by WHO and UNICEF on April 26th. The recording of the webinar is available in English, in French and in Spanish.

Read more here.
 

The Global Cluster Coordination Unit is delighted to announce the launch of a dedicated Humanitarian Coordination Learning Channel in Agora. The channel will host all main learning content related to cluster work and make learning more accessible particularly to our field colleagues through a full online approach. The first major initiative that focuses on non-sectoral (“core”) content is our Information Management pilot, with 60+ modules and 6 short courses. This pilot was very well received by the IM and M&E community within and beyond UNICEF (Standby Network and other clusters). 
 
We hope to continue improving the understanding of humanitarian coordination and information management in line with Humanitarian Review recommendations. Please do share with your teams and help us spread the word!
Making the invisible visible - The United Nations World Water Development Report 2022

Accounting for approximately 99% of all liquid freshwater on Earth, groundwater has the potential to provide societies with tremendous social, economic and environmental benefits and opportunities. Groundwater already provides half of the volume of water withdrawn for domestic use by the global population, including the drinking water for the vast majority of the rural population who do not get their water delivered to them via public or private supply systems, and around 25% of all water withdrawn for irrigation. However, this natural resource is often poorly understood, and consequently undervalued, mismanaged and even abused.
Read more here.

Supporting Humanitarian Response In and Outside Ukraine with the Right Data and Information

The WASH in Epidemics course will introduce learners to the role of WASH in an infectious disease outbreak setting, focusing specifically on respiratory, fecal-oral, and direct contact infectious disease outbreaks.

This course is designed for individuals responding to a variety of humanitarian crises, in which an infectious disease outbreak is also occurring. Learners taking this course should have an understanding of the various WASH interventions typically used in humanitarian responses, though need not be WASH specialists; this course is applicable to all humanitarian responders. Read more here.

WHO Strategy for implementing localization at the field level - April 2022 Update

As the lead health actor within the UN, IASC and Grand Bargain, WHO is being called on by donors and other UN partners to show strategic thinking and leadership on localization within the health sector. As the lead technical partner to national health authorities, both WHO and national health authorities stand to benefit operationally from the implementation of sound localization practices:

The COVID-19 response has shown that powerful community engagement and the support of local and national actors were and are still central to pandemic response. Moreover, engagement with local actors is key to ensure countries recover better from COVID-19. National capacities to respond to humanitarian crisis (supported by WHO) are strengthened if based on sound data analysis and surveillance at local level, localized Risk Communication strategies, and Community Engagement approaches to prevention. Read more here.

FAO Reports - Impacts on Global Food Security
 
The importance of Ukraine and the Russian Federation for global agricultural markets and the risks associated with the current conflict
What are the impacts of the conflict on global markets and food security in Ukraine and worldwide? This Information Note answers these questions with up-to-date information and analysis on the multiple ramifications of the ongoing conflict for trade, price, logistics, production, economic growth, and livelihoods. Read more here.

AMIS Market Monitor (April 2022)
The events currently unfolding in Ukraine have sent shockwaves through global markets. The crisis comes at a moment when food markets are already struggling with soaring prices and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The AMIS Secretariat, hosted by FAO, will continue monitoring developments closely and work with its partners to help minimize any adverse effects on global food markets. Read more here.

Read the latest FAO updates here.

Estimating the cost of achieving basic water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste management services in public health-care facilities in the 46 UN designated least-developed countries: a modelling study

Background
An alarming number of public health-care facilities in low-income and middle-income countries lack basic water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and waste management services. This study estimates the costs of achieving full coverage of basic WASH and waste services in existing public health facilities in the 46 UN designated least-developed countries (LDCs).

Methods
In this modelling study, in-need facilities were quantified by combining published counts of public facilities with estimated basic WASH and waste service coverage. Country-specific per-facility capital and recurrent costs to deliver basic services were collected via survey of country WASH experts and officials between Sept 24 and Dec 24, 2020. Baseline cost estimates were modelled and discounted by 5% per year. Key assumptions were adjusted to produce lower and upper estimates, including adjusting the discount rate to 8% and 3% per year, respectively.


Read more here.

Inter-Cluster Updates
IASC New Resources

Grand Bargain Self-Reporting Exercise 2021 - 2022 - Published Date - 4 May 2022
This year, 97% of Signatories reported by the deadline for 2021 (62 out of 64 Signatories), which importantly demonstrates your commitment and engagement. The analysis of the findings from the self-reports will be published in the Annual Independent Report. The self-reporting exercise provides accountability towards the wider humanitarian community, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders. It is also used as a starting point for the analysis provided by an independent annual report. This report assesses the progress of each workstream, and of the overall Grand Bargain initiative. Read more here.

Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) Events 2022
Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) The Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) is the annual event of the Leading Edge Programme (LEP) and the largest event of its kind.
 
Working with other sectors to enhance outcomes of MHPSS elements of child protection: An introductory guide for child protection practitioners
 
Per the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, MHPSS is not a stand-alone area, but one that should be integrated into all sectors. Robust cooperation across all sectors is needed for MHPSS to produce the desired outcomes. Collaboration between child protection coordination groups with other sectors is essential for optimized outcomes MHPSS outcomes in humanitarian action.


Read more here.
Upcoming Events
 
Webinar/Event                 Date & time    Organisation
Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week 2-20 May Inter-Agency
26th GWC Annual Meeting 💧 16-17 May GWC
Emergency Environmental Health Forum (EEHF) 18-19 May 2022 LSHTM
2022 Sector Ministers’ Meeting 18-19 May 2022 SWA, Government Indonesia, UNICEF
6th Congress IWA-Mexico 2022: Young Water Professionals 23-27 May International Water Association
Community water management and basic sanitation: The before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic 25-31 May IUAES 2022
Menstrual Hygiene Day 🩸 28 May World
 
If you wish to contribute, please submit directly to: globalwashcluster@gmail.com.
20th April 2022 -  Drilling/installation of Climate Resilient Boreholes in flood and drought-affected areas of Hirshabelle State, Puntland and Somaliland.
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