Transforming accountability and project monitoring for stronger national WASH sectors

In spite of advances in alignment with country systems, many development partners still tend to focus monitoring efforts on their ‘own’ projects, driven by a strong burden of accountability to taxpayers and institutional donors. Project-monitoring efforts are fragmented and often work around government-led systems. They tend to stop once the implementing agency withdraws. Conversely, project monitoring offers flexibility and speed for testing innovative approaches and new technologies. The reality in many developing countries is that government-led water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) monitoring systems remain weak and are often underfunded. Despite these dilemmas, several recent trends indicate that project monitoring and government-led systems can be mutually beneficial. This can only be achieved if all actors communicate better and modify their organizational behaviours; much of this will be determined by changing the incentives for monitoring. When planned and communicated well, project efforts can contribute positively to permanent, comprehensive, national sector monitoring systems.[author abstract]