Implemented across seven countries in Africa and Asia, the programme gives specific attention to gender and social inclusion, and climate vulnerability and resilience in approaching its three objectives:

1. Increasing demand for improved WASH facilities and practices;
2. Improving the quality of service provision; and
3. Improving governance of the sector.

Within the programme, SNV is active in five of the seven WASH SDG countries: Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Tanzania and Zambia. Core to SNV’s contributions to the consortium programme is the application of its urban sanitation approach: Urban Sanitation and Hygiene for Health and Development (USHHD). USHHD is designed to address the entire sanitation chain, and realise inclusive, sustainable and scalable city-wide sanitation services.

Towards addressing the specific sanitation and hygiene challenges of WASH SDG countries, implementation of the USHHD approach will:

1. Strengthen capacities to institutionalise effective behavioural change communication on issues of safely managed sanitation and hygiene.
2. Develop safe and affordable sanitation and hygiene consumer services for different population segments.
3. Improve local treatment, disposal and reuse options, making them environmentally safe, socially acceptable, and financially sustainable.
4. Scale up a city-wide service delivery framework, which is co-developed with local authorities and stakeholders, and supported by enforcement and regulation protocols.
5. Build capacities and systems for the sustainable and full-cost recovery of city-wide sanitation services, supported by smart financing and investments.

Implementation of the USHHD approach within the programme will also provide the opportunity for the organisation and its partners to mature SNV’s urban sanitation approach, and ensure its continued relevance and applicability.