Global Water Security & Sanitation Partnership

The Global Water Security & Sanitation Partnership (GWSP), formerly the Water and Sanitation Program, is a trust fund administered by the World Bank geared at improving the accessibility and infrastructure of water and sanitation for underdeveloped countries. GWSP works in more than 25 countries through regional offices in Africa, East and South Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and an office in Washington, D.C. Heath P. Tarbert is the Acting Executive Director for the United States. The GWSP is best known for its work providing technical assistance, building partnerships and capacity building. GWSP focuses on both regulatory and structural changes and also behavior change projects, such as a scaling up handwashing project and scaling up sanitation project. Another key aspect of GWSP's work is sharing knowledge and best practices through multiple channels. The GWSP has determined five main focus areas: Sustainability, inclusion, institutions, financing, and resilience.

Activities

In addition to other field projects, the program published 108 field notes and technical briefs in 2016. During this year, just under $40 billion US dollars was distributed worldwide, mostly in Africa. The program divides its efforts between the development of sanitation infrastructure and supplies and researching issues impacting the well-being of the communities lacking such facilities.

Countries affected

Africa

East Asia and the Pacific

Bangladesh

Cambodia

India

Indonesia

Laos

Pakistan

Philippines

Vietnam

Latin America

Bolivia

Ecuador

Haiti

Honduras

Nicaragua

Peru

Other Focus Areas

Ending open defecation

The program has devoted much of its influence to ending open defecation (OD) which affects 1 billion people worldwide and ultimately leading to an estimated 842,000 deaths annually.