The measurement and monitoring of water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) affordability: a missing element of monitoring of sustainable development goal (SDG) targets 6.1 and 6.2

Overview

From 2018 to 2020 UNICEF and WHO led an initiative to explore how affordability can be understood and monitored for water, sanitation and hygiene. A panel of experts was invited to contribute to the initiative at key moments. Published literature was reviewed, concepts and methodologies developed and country case studies conducted, to explore underlying concepts and practical applications to enable global and national monitoring.

This paper reviews the data sources and methodologies that are available for monitoring the affordability of WASH services at both national and global levels. It proposes recommendations on the ways in which affordability of WASH services can be monitored through the year 2030 and beyond, with the aim of stimulating further discussion and agreement between government authorities, technical partners, and donor agencies.