The development of the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster provides an open formal platform for all emergency WASH actors and working together, the development of a workplan which addresses the key gaps as identified both by those key actors, but also verification from the field.  The cluster approach presents many opportunities to bring the sector as a whole closer together in ensuring a predictable, effective, timely and coherent WASH humanitarian response.

Formal recognition of UNICEF’s role as global cluster lead has also allowed the organisation to ensure dedicated resources to take up the role and to examine internal and external systems to ensure standards, systems and capacity for rapid response. Critical in ensuring participation in the WASH cluster in emergencies, is ensuring that all key WASH sector actors are fully involved at the global level.

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Whilst informal networking certainly has made a contribution to the sector’s response, prior to the humanitarian reform, there had never been a formal analysis of the key issues which were bottlenecks in improving the sector’s response in an emergency.