Research paper Published: 2022 By Ortrun Merkle, Umrbek Allakulov and Debora Gonzalez Suggested citation: Merkle, O; Allakulov, U; Gonzalez, D (2022). Sextortion in access to WASH services in selected regions of Bangladesh. UNU-MERIT Working Papers #2022-022, ISSN 1871-9872 This paper investigates the incidence and risk factors associated with sextortion in accessing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services by women in selected regions of Bangladesh. Read the Paper: https://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/abstract/?id=9348

Research paper Published in 2022 By Danny Marks, Dublin City University Suggested citation: Marks, D.; 2021; Corruption and integrity failures in Bangkok’s wastewater sector. Berlin: Water Integrity Network Corruption and integrity failures in Bangkok's wastewater sector are contributing to increased levels of untreated water and affecting the health and livelihoods of people in the region and smallholder farmers in particular. This research examines the different types of integrity failures plaguing the sector. Download (pdf, EN)

Strategy document Published in 2022 Building on its research into the impact of and responses to corruption and poor integrity in the water and sanitation sectors, WIN advocates and builds capacity for integrity as a crucial requirement to achieve the global development agenda, including SDGs and climate-related targets. Addressing climate change clearly and decisively is crucial to WIN's work, to ensure equitable access to water and sanitation services to all, as well as to ensure resilience of the water and sanitation sectors and of communities, especially those most affected by climate change. WIN's climate approach describes the most important integrity challenges identified by partners and stakeholders in joint workshops and presents major areas of work related to climate justice for WIN and partners in the coming years. Download (pdf, EN): Work with us in implementing this approach, join our stakeholder network for climate work:

Evidence from Integrity Management Processes in Utilities, Water Institutions, and Small Water System Management Committees Case studies Published in 2022 The Water Integrity Network (WIN) has a suite of integrity assessment and management tools to support service providers in strengthening integrity within their work processes. These adaptable tools have been developed, implemented and continuously improved with our network of WASH, finance, anti-corruption/integrity and development experts, including Caritas Switzerland, cewas, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit [GIZ gmbH]. the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), KfW, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). the Kenyan Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) and leading water utilities and organisations from Argentina to Zambia. Globally, these integrity tools have been applied with over 130 organisations and/or community groups across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America in both rural and urban areas. The tools have been used to address, amongst other things, misuse of financial resources, poor human resources management and nepotism, low public trust, poor customer service, and compliance issues. Water sector stakeholders that commit to strengthening integrity are better placed to become more effective organisations. We have examples to demonstrate that measurable, positive change can be traced back to action for transparency, accountability, participation and anti-corruption across a range of different contexts worldwide. Download: (pdf, EN) (pdf, ES)

Case studies Published: 2022 By Carmen Fernandez Fernandez (Consultant) and Girum Girma (Caritas Switzerland) Participatory processes that help enhance trust, increase motivation, and build collective action between water committees and users are key for delivering more effective and sustainable water services. To enable participation and improve water access by focusing on integrity of small systems in Ethiopia, Caritas worked with WASHCOs to introduce the Integrity Management Toolbox for Small Water Supply Systems in several communities. These cases describe the process and lessons learned. Download (pdf, EN) The case of Gobile The case of Badesa

CORRUPTION THREATENS TO DERAIL CLIMATE ACTION. A PREVENTIVE INTEGRITY APPROACH MUST BE BUILT IN FROM PROJECT START “There is strengthened evidence that the global water cycle will continue to intensify as global temperatures rise, with precipitation and surface water flows projected to become more variable over most land regions within seasons” –IPCC 6th Assessment Report Climate Change 2021 The climate crisis is already significantly impacting the health, social and environmental dynamics of millions of people. The most vulnerable communities, and coastal and rural populations in developing countries as well as those affected by conflict, are unjustly bearing the harshest burden. Without significant investment in adaptation, the consequences will be dire. This means we must ensure new climate funds go where they are intended and most needed. In turn, this means integrity is essential. The water and sanitation sectors are currently the primary beneficiaries of climate funds for adaptation. However, these sectors are already fragmented and complex in terms of governance. The influx of funds from new sources and stakeholders creates new opportunities for corruption and important integrity risks. Over 40 percent of all climate-related overseas development assistance is received by initiatives in countries among the riskiest places in the world for corruption (U4 Brief 2020:14). An integrity approach is key to ensure adaptation processes stay on track. An integrity approach is also essential to limit maladaptation, an emerging concern largely driven by corruption and integrity failures in climate adaptation. Maladaptation heightens expected climate-related risks instead of lowering them, or creates new sets of risks. This brief, developed with the Green Climate Fund – Independent Integrity Unit, Examines how corruption and integrity failures may heighten the risk of maladaptation. Highlights the importance of adopting preventive integrity measures to reduce the risks of maladaptation. Encourages further research and discussion on the relationship between maladaptation and corruption. Download and read here: See more, including a video here on what maladaptation is and what the links are with integrity

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROMOTING INTEGRITY AND REDUCING CORRUPTION Research paper Published in 2021 In collaboration with Aguaconsult By Bill Twyman (Aguaconsult, Ltd.) and Ison Simbeye (Aguaconsult, Associate) An examination of urban sanitation in Lusaka, Zambia, with a focus on integrity, corruption risks and the capacity, strengths and weakness of the regulatory framework to deal with these risks. Download (pdf, EN): Suggested citation: Twyman, B; Simbeye, I. (2021) Regulating Lusaka's Urban Sanitation Sector: The Importance of Promoting Integrity and Reducing Corruption , Water Integrity Network Research Papers, #1, Berlin: Water Integrity Network

“Ending corruption will not solve all the country’s water problems, but an effective campaign to wash corruption out of the water sector could create the environment in which larger water problems can be tackled. It could ensure that water security for all becomes, once again, the primary goal of the water sector. And, in doing this, the water sector could provide guidance and inspiration for the rest of the nation.” - From Money Down the Drain: Corruption in South Africa’s Water Sector (WIN and Corruption Watch, 2020) Some years ago, bringing up the topic of corruption or integrity with certain stakeholders could be met with awkward silences or closed doors. in 2020, WIN advocacy contributed to stirrings of change. Despite the pandemic in 2020, WIN worked in twelve countries, with regional bodies on three continents, and with a number of global level organisations. This annual report highlights key achievements and developments for water integrity for 2020. Download (pdf, EN)

INTEGRITY FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES By 2050, nearly seven out of ten people in the world will live in urban areas and the number of people living in informal settlements is likely to double. In cities around the world, the water and sanitation situation is already dire: over a third of the urban population lives without adequate sanitation and threats from climate change are increasing. It’s essential. Cities need clean water and sanitation. And clean water and sanitation need integrity, for city residents, city resilience, and city reputation. Corruption in water and sanitation has a tremendous impact on the lives and well-being of city residents and on the reputation of cities and water and sanitation sector stakeholders. The issue may seem daunting but evidence from around the world shows that change is possible. And change is essential. Download summary (pdf, EN) (see more languages below) Download full report (pdf, EN) 3 PRIORITIES FOR ACTION PRACTICAL CASES FOR URBAN WASH STAKEHOLDERS Building on the Water Integrity Global Outlook (WIGO) 2016, WIGO 2021 brings together examples of how integrity champions -mayors, regulators, water and sanitation professionals, civil society, funders, the media- are building integrity in cities step by step, to improve water and sanitation services and leave no one behind. MORE DOWNLOADS Download the summary in Spanish (pdf, ES) Download the summary in French (pdf, FR) Download the summary in Swahili (pdf, SW) TAKE ACTION FOR INTEGRITY

Case study Published in 2021 By Celia Schmidt (cewas), Binayak Das (WIN), and Kazi Monir Mosharof (NGO Forum for Public Health) With support from cewas and NGO Forum Located in Bangladesh’s second-largest city, Chattogram (previously Chittagong), Chattogram Water and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) is one of the largest utilities in Bangladesh. CWASA launched an Integrity Management process using integrity management tools for utilities in 2018. Through the process, CWASA focused on improving customer complaint management systems and field inspections, with positive results. This case study describes CWASA's process and progress. Download (pdf, EN):

WATER SERVICE PROVIDERS FACING COVID19, INSOLVENCY, AND OTHER CHALLENGES By Dominique Schmachtel, SWIM (Solutions for Water Integrity and Management) Delayed or non-payment of water bills by public entities is widespread in developing countries, and has significant impact on the bottom line of water service providers. A 2020 survey by the Water Integrity Network (WIN), End Water Poverty, Solutions for Water Integrity and Management (SWIM) and other partners showed that 95% of the utilities investigated in 18 countries, mostly from the Global South, reported cases of non-payment by public institutions and that collection rates for public customers are consistently lower than for private customers. Access to water is a human right and yet, according to a 2019 UN analysis, 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to safely managed drinking water sources or are not connected to water networks, and 3 billion people even lack access to basic handwashing facilities. The situation is putting millions at even greater risk during the COVID-19 pandemic when it is paramount that services be delivered as effectively as possible. Water service providers are on the front lines. They must maintain adequate service and ensure that new measures mandated to face the pandemic are implemented effectively. They must do this while facing shortfalls in revenue collection due to the crisis and without compromising their ability to improve and increase service provision in the long-term. National and local governments must take action to ensure water is accessible to all and do so by supporting service providers to weather the crisis and ensure optimal service, for the long-term. The first steps are to prioritise the payment of public institutions’ outstanding water bills and to back up the promises made in response to COVID-19. Arrears from public customers jeopardise financial stability of water service providers and ability to respond to crisis The reasons for non-payment are varied but at least 10% of survey respondents claimed abuse of political power or undue interference are to blame. In a number of cases, the arrears represent a high proportion of the total revenue of water service providers. And, survey results show that the situation is worsening during the pandemic crisis as arrears are increasing. Two out of five surveyed water utilities suffer from increasingly delayed payments or a reduction of their bill collection ratio from public institutions. The missing money is urgently needed to provide adequate services and to ensure that the human rights to water and sanitation are realised. There are now reports of a growing number of water utilities facing financial distress in part because of these issues. In Ghana, for example, the Water Citizen Network, warned that the Ghana Water Company Limited “will not be able to sustain a regular supply of water or expansion to reach unserved communities if the debt situation of the company is not resolved“. Financial stress is compounded by lower collection rates and increased losses due to the crisis In addition to delays and missing payments from public institutions, many service providers are also suffering financially from losses and a decrease in water demand and associated revenues. Otherwise reliably paying customers with high consumption rates, such as industry or the hospitality sector, have been hit hard by the crisis. Many private customers, who had paid their bills may also be struggling to cover costs as they are confronted with the effects of the pandemic. As reported by the World Bank, the Uganda National Water and Sewerage Corporation for example “only collected 39% of the revenue expected between February and June 2020“. This is leading to a general decrease in the collection efficiency of payments and is putting a serious strain on the operations of many water utilities. A Zambian water service provider shared insight on collection efficiency for our survey and research, showing a notable decrease since the beginning of 2020, with collection rates now far below the sector benchmark. These issues are major concerns for utilities worldwide, and not only on the short-term. In the United States, for example, it is unclear for many how accumulated debt will be paid and what the impact of the crisis will be on collection and delinquency rates when emergency measures expire. Measures to respond to COVID-19 provide relief, but they must be effectively funded and sustainable Measures are being taken by governments to support water users and to provide water and relief for people during the crisis. Various governments have pledged to make water free or cheaper, put a moratorium on disconnections, and reduced or waived fees and extra costs. Governments are also, in some cases, already supporting utilities with additional financing and other measures to improve monitoring and coordination , all in an effort to maintain continuity of service. These are necessary and important steps forward that highlight the crucial importance of the water and sanitation sector in times of crisis. The issues are whether, in practice, these measures are adequately funded and what their impact will be on the long-term. From our research, a Kenyan utility worker reported that: “Free water supply to hand-washing points and informal settlements“ was mandated by government to fight against COVID. But to pay for these additional services, water service providers still need to maintain sufficient income. Another Kenyan utility worker added that “the Government announced there would be no disconnections for non-payment of water bills, yet no subsidies have been provided”. Overall, the inability for water service providers to avoid losses in revenue in combination with non-payment from public entities and accumulated arrears increase the risk of severe financial stress and bankruptcy. Immediate as well as long-term actions must be taken to protect and sustain water and sanitation services that are indispensable to overcoming the pandemic. Two streams of action are required: Governments must support utilities, backing up their promises for COVID-19 relief with adequate subsidies that fit in to a longer-term strategy towards the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation To ensure a sustainable financial basis for utilities, measures must be taken by governments to ensure that all public entities, at every level, pay their bills to water service providers in full and on time. Without these actions, any progress to provide water and sanitation to all is being put at risk by the very governments that claim commitment to this target.

Non-payment and empty promises are undermining the human rights to water and sanitation Research and policy brief Published in 2020 Developed with End Water Poverty, SWIM (Solutions for Water Integrity and Management) with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Access to safe water and sanitation are human rights. To serve everyone and realise these rights, water and sanitation service providers must be able to operate and stay financially viable. However, there is evidence to show that many public institutions do not pay the water bills they receive, or with crippling delays. This is a problem for service providers who count on this revenue. When governments don’t pay, people do. The burden shifts to those who face increased tariffs and those who are left with poor or no service, who pay with their health, time, and productivity. Download the policy brief (pdf, EN) Summary: Research factsheet: