How the technical approach of projects impacts the sanitation sector in developing countries such as Lebanon

The approach focusing on technical design and implementation is still implemented in most development projects. Combined to the lack of coordination between stakeholders, this leads to insufficient service provision. While sector stakeholders on an international level have been shifting to a new approach, most of the developing countries haven’t yet made this qualitative transition. This particularly affects the sanitation sector. In Lebanon for example, despite the millions of dollars invested by donors during the last decades to improve the sanitation system, only 8% of wastewater is currently treated. This is partly due to the same problems that occur in most development projects. One of the solutions would be to adopt an approach based on users’ access to the service, which would be supported, during implementation, by specific actions targeting the institutional and social aspects of the project.