LIBERIA: President Sirleaf to Chair First WASH Board Meeting
By: WASH R&E “Media” Network – President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is expected this Friday, June 19, 2015 to officially chair the first sitting of the National Water Resource Sanitation Board.
Flashback President Sirleaf feeds a little girl with water, after officially dedicating the Mount Barclay Hand Pump in 2013
The Board Meeting will be held in the Cabinet Room of the Executive Mansion, bringing together 13 Cabinet Ministers, including WASH Sector Ministers from line Ministries.
The first Sitting of the WASH Board is aimed at providing necessary information concerning activities in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector of Liberia.
The formation of the Board by President Sirleaf is intended to solve the issue of fragmentation in the WASH Sector of the country, to ensure more efficient coordination of WASH activities.
The Board is expected to put in place necessary measures that will improve service delivery in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector of Liberia.
A release from the WASH Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia with support from WaterAid in Liberia and Sierra Leone says, the creation of the Board will eventually lead to the establishment of a Ministry of Water and Sanitation.
The establishment of the Board was part of recommendations put forward in the WASH Compact, a Document compiled by stake holders, other actors and international partners to properly address WASH issues in the country.
When the Ministry is established, it will set up the guidelines and policies that will bring about improvement in WASH service delivery.
It can be recalled that President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf recently challenged members of the newly established National Water Resource Sanitation Board to formulate policies that government can endorse to integrate the WASH sector.
President Sirleaf at the time urged the Board to come up with programs that will meet and direct government on the measures it can take to integrate the WASH sector.
She said that the Board needs to compile information and data on what’s obtaining in the sector, population being served, by what means, where the greatest neglect is and make recommendations on the way forward.
Meanwhile, the Head of the National WASH Secretariat , Abdul Hafiz Koroma, has disclosed the holding of the 3rd Annual Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Joint Sector Review (JSR).
The review of the WASH sector by the government of Liberia and partners will focus on successes, challenges and prospects in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector of the country.
Providing more insight on the 3rd WASH Joint Sector Review to WASH Journalists, Mr. Koroma asserted that during the holding of the JSR, the sector will release its Joint sector Report.
The Report focuses on activities of both local and international partners in the WASH sector of the country with emphasis on WASH standards set-by the Liberian government.
Mr. Koroma said the Assembly will provide a platform for critical WASH issues ranging from government’s intervention and policy, the role of the civil society and international partners’ involvement will be highlighted.
The WASH Joint Sector Review is expected to be held in July this year in Nimba county, and will bring together service providers, government agencies with some oversight on WASH, Civil society, international partners and Liberians.
The National WASH Secretariat has meanwhile described as successful, the planning process leading to the National Water Resource Sanitation Board Meeting.
