Assessing Nepal's national sanitation policy

Many researchers and commentators on sanitation have recognised that relevant and effective policies play an important role in ensuring sanitation is addressed at sufficient scale that progress is made towards national sanitation targets in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With this in mind, the Environmental Health Programme (EHP) of USAID developed a written ‘Guidelines for the Assessment of National Sanitation Policies’ in 2002, to help countries assess the effectiveness of policy in enabling an environment that encourages effective programmes and strategies. Nepal was selected as one of two countries for field-testing the EHP Guidelines as part of DFID-funded research carried out by WEDC in collaboration with Development Network, a national consulting research firm in Nepal. This paper highlights key findings based on the research process, with implications for challenges facing Nepal in effectively implementing sanitation policy.