German WASH Network

The German WASH Network (WASH-Netzwerk) is a Berlin-based alliance of 30 German non-governmental organisations active in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. Its members work primarily in humanitarian emergency and transitional aid and in international development cooperation. The network was founded on 20 June 2011 in Cologne, emerging from a working group of the Forum for Environment and Development (Forum für Umwelt und Entwicklung). Its secretariat is hosted and managed by the German Toilet Organization in Berlin. The network's mission is to contribute to solving one of the major challenges of the 21st century: around 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe water, and 3.6 billion lack safe sanitation. Together, its members implement WASH projects in over 60 countries. The network focuses on professionalisation through continuous knowledge exchange, better linking of emergency and transitional aid with development cooperation, and on political advocacy and public relations. The WASH Network is an active member of key global coordination mechanisms. It serves as the interface between German aid organisations and the Global WASH Cluster, which coordinates humanitarian WASH assistance under a mandate from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. It is also active in the global partnership Sanitation and Water for All and coordinates the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus (Triple Nexus). The network organises regional workshops to strengthen humanitarian WASH preparedness and emergency response capacities, in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office. These workshops take place in English-speaking and Francophone Africa, Asia and the MENA region. It also conducts WASH Training of Trainers, and trainings on WASH and nutrition as well as market-based approaches and cash assistance. The network publishes a range of major publications and ePapers, including compendiums on faecal sludge management, emergency sanitation, emergency water and emergency hygiene, and guidance on market-based programming in humanitarian WASH.

The German WASH Network emerged from a working group on water within the Forum for Environment and Development (Forum für Umwelt und Entwicklung). In response to the International Year of Sanitation 2008, a group of NGOs from this working group presented a position paper on "ecologically compatible basic sanitation" at a press conference in front of Berlin Central Station. During this action, the working group discussed why German aid organisations and their experts working in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector of development cooperation were so poorly networked with each other. A survey of German aid organisations was conducted to identify who does what, where, and in what context. The study showed that almost all 38 NGOs that participated in the survey welcomed the founding of a network for the sector. At a first networking meeting, the study was presented to representatives of eleven of these organisations, and all participants spoke in favour of the necessary step. A founding workshop was held at Welthungerhilfe in Bad Godesberg to prepare the founding and develop the vision and goals of the network. The WASH Network was finally founded on 20 June 2011 at the premises of Malteser International in Cologne. Today it has 30 members. The secretariat of the WASH Network is hosted and managed by the German Toilet Organization in Berlin. Since its founding, the network has organised numerous events and trainings. At the Bonn Nexus Conference 2011, it held an event on "Without adequate water, sanitation and hygiene, food security for all cannot be achieved", chaired by Uschi Eid, then Vice-Chair of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board. At the 2012 World Water Week in Stockholm, the WASH Network conducted a seminar with the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program on "No food security without water, sanitation and hygiene". At the 2013 World Water Week, it held a seminar with Sanitation and Water for All on "Aid Effectiveness in WASH Relief to Development Transition". In 2015, the WASH Network organised the Bonn WASH Nutrition Forum 2015, the first global conference on better integrating the two fields of WASH and food security. In 2014, a member of the WASH Network, Wash United, initiated 28 May as the annual Menstrual Hygiene Day. The network also conducts regional workshops in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office to strengthen humanitarian WASH preparedness and emergency response capacities, with the aim of creating long-term and sustainable improvement for people in crisis and disaster situations by strengthening local actors. These workshops take place in English-speaking and Francophone Africa, Asia and the MENA region. In addition, WASH Training of Trainers courses enable participants to develop and conduct regional WASH trainings themselves. Trainings on WASH and nutrition as well as market-based approaches and cash assistance for humanitarian WASH have also been held. The WASH Network is an active member of the most important global coordination mechanisms in the WASH sector. It serves as the interface of German aid organisations to the Global WASH Cluster, which coordinates humanitarian WASH assistance based on a mandate from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. The WASH Network is also represented in various working groups of the Global WASH Cluster, which support the WASH sector on technical and thematic issues. In development policy, the WASH Network is active in the global partnership Sanitation and Water for All. It also coordinates the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus (Triple Nexus), a global initiative to strengthen the resilience of WASH supply systems. Over the years, the WASH Network has published a series of major publications and ePapers. The topics of the ePapers range from "WASH Capacity Development" to "WASH and Food Security" to "Market Based Programming in Humanitarian WASH". Its publications include the Compendium of Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) Technical...

• 2015

  Organises the Bonn WASH Nutrition Forum 2015, the first global conference on integrating WASH and food security.

• 2014

  Member Wash United initiates 28 May as annual Menstrual Hygiene Day.

• 2013

  Holds a seminar with Sanitation and Water for All at World Water Week on aid effectiveness in WASH transition.

• 2012

  Conducts a seminar with the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program at World Water Week in Stockholm.

• 2011

  WASH Network founded on 20 June 2011 at Malteser International in Cologne.

• 2011

  Holds an event at the Bonn Nexus Conference on the link between WASH and food security.

• 2008

  In response to the International Year of Sanitation, NGOs from the Forum for Environment and Development present a position paper on ecologically compatible basic sanitation in Berlin.

A collaborative German NGO network for professionalising and advocating for the WASH sector in humanitarian and development contexts.

• Compendium of Faecal Sludge Management (FSM)

• EmerSan Compendium

• EmerWater Compendium

• EmerHyg Compendium

• MBP WASH Guidance

• WASH ePaper series

1. 1German WASH Network | Water, Sanitation and Hygiene For Allwashnet.de
2. 2Geschichte | German WASH Networkwashnet.de
3. 3WASH-Netzwerk – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
4. 4WASH network – Wikidatawikidata.org