Discussion Paper: Strategic Directions for WASH Systems Strengthening in the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025

To meet the SDG WASH targets it is now widely recognised as essential to have strong systems to support the delivery of WASH services and goods ‘for all’, everywhere, and forever. An intentional shift to systems strengthening was initiated in UNICEF’s WASH Strategy 2016-2030 and subsequently has been strongly emphasised in UNICEF’s previous (2018-2021) and the new (2022-2025) strategic plans. 

This paper outlines some of the key challenges remaining in the WASH enabling environment and  proposes some major pillars to anchor UNICEF’s programming going forward.