Press Release - Department for International Development:
Maximising impact in the water sector
31 January 2003
In the context of more than 1 billion people lacking access to
safe drinking water and 2.4 billion people lacking basic sanitation
facilities, the Department for International Development’s (DFID’s)
projects to improve access to water and sanitation in developing
countries have been largely successful, the National Audit Office
reports today.
Between 1997 and 2002 DFID has completed 193 dedicated water and
sanitation projects. The Report shows that individual projects have
led to beneficial changes in developing countries. Where
information was available, three quarters of projects completely or
largely achieved what they had intended. However, there is
often not enough evidence to determine the extent to which
improvements have been sustained.
The most common problems which the NAO found were that
insufficient attention had been paid to operation and maintenance
issues in individual projects, a lack of local capacity in
developing countries and an inadequate understanding of local
circumstances when designing projects. Although
sustainability represents a difficult issue for all donors,
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, recommends
that DFID develop further its approach to project evaluation to
provide better information and identify those factors which lead to
a lasting beneficial impact.
In 2001-02 DFID disbursed £290 million, nearly one fifth of
its bilateral aid programme, through budget support. This
involves the disbursement of aid directly into the national budgets
of partner governments to support the host government in its
implementation of an agreed poverty reduction strategy. There
are potential benefits but also a different set of risks.
DFID has taken a leading international role in addressing the
financial risks and is implementing a range of measures to provide
assurance that funds are being used for the intended purpose of
poverty reduction. Sir John points out that there remain a number
of challenges to achieving the desired outcomes. In
particular, there is scope for DFID to work closely with other
donors to improve the capacity of partner governments to deliver
the necessary service improvements.
DFID has to balance what it spends in the water sector against
the demand for resources from other sectors, such as health and
education. Compared to some other sectors, DFID’s bilateral
assistance to the water sector in developing countries is
relatively modest. In 2001-02 DFID spent £87 million on
water resources, water supply and sanitation components in 691
ongoing projects covering all sectors. DFID’s expenditure has
been broadly constant over the last three years but new commitments
to the sector have fallen from a peak in 1999/2000, particularly in
Africa, largely due to the use of new aid instruments. DFID’s
water expenditure is significantly less than some other donors and
there are few substantive country water programmes.
Internationally, DFID plays a highly influential role within the
international development community in raising the profile of water
and sanitation issues. For example, it pushed successfully for the
adoption at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 of
the target to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access
to adequate sanitation facilities.
Sir John Bourn said today:
"The achievement of the targets to improve access to
water and sanitation remains a huge task. It is clearly
important that DFID makes an effective contribution to addressing
global water needs. At the international, national and local
levels, DFID can point to success in its work in the water sector
and new initiatives to improve its performance. The aim of my
report is to assist the Department in make sure that its assistance
has a great and lasting impact."
Notes for Editors
- The Department for International Development leads the United
Kingdom’s contribution to promoting development and the elimination
of poverty. The Department is committed to the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals, which provide a global consensus
on objectives for addressing poverty. The Goals include a
target to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access to
safe drinking water. At the World Summit for Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg in 2002 participating governments also
agreed to an equivalent target for sanitation.
- Press notices and reports are available from the date of
publication on the NAO website at http://www.nao.org.uk/ Hard copies can
be obtained from The Stationery Office on 0845 702 3474.
- The Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir John Bourn, is the
head of the National Audit Office employing some 750 staff. He and
the NAO are totally independent of Government. He certifies the
accounts of all Government departments and a wide range of other
public sector bodies; and he has statutory authority to report to
Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which
departments and other bodies have used their resources.
Press Notice 05/03
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