posted on 2013-07-30, 12:48authored byAndrew Cotton
Current resource allocations for water supply and sanitation are far below those required to meet
basic needs, particularly in low income countries. Many organisations supporting advocacy and
arguing for change make use of the primary statistical data for Official Development Assistance (ODA)
which measures donor aid flows to the sector. Important changes have taken place to the way ODA
is reported including disaggregation between aid flows for water supply and aid flows for sanitation
from 2010 onwards. This paper reports findings from a consultative group regarding issues requiring
clarification for the revised codes to be applied consistently. These include: disaggregation of water
and sanitation from within integrated water sector projects; disaggregation of water and sanitation
components from projects in other sectors; clarity on working definitions of ‘large and basic’ when
reporting water and sanitation projects; capacity development that directly supports
implementation; and recording the transition from projects to programme-based aid. Case studies
drawn from donors’ reporting of ODA are used to illustrate key issues for users of ODA statistical
information who aim to capture data on aid flows to the water sector.
History
School
Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Research Unit
Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)
Citation
COTTON, A., 2013. Reporting aid flows for water supply and sanitation: official development assistance. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 3 (3), pp. 441–450.