Poverty Reduction and Water: 'Watsan and PRSPs' in sub-Saharan Africa - ODI Water Policy Programme Briefings 3

Water supply and sanitation (WSS) are critical factors in dayto-day problems faced by the poor in developing countries. The extent and significance of water-related poverty was recognised at the International Freshwater Conference held in Bonn in December 2001, which reiterated the importance of achieving safe, affordable and sustainable water and sanitation access for poor populations, as a central global concern of poverty reduction (‘Bonn Declaration’, 2001). This challenge will doubtless be highlighted again at the ‘World Summit on Sustainable Development’ to be held in Johannesburg in Autumn 2002. National efforts at addressing poverty reduction in low income countries are increasingly focused on the process of developing Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs). Clearly, if water-related poverty is to be effectively reduced, programmes of action designed to address water challenges must find their place within PRSs, and in relation to other key measures for achieving poverty reduction. Despite the accepted importance of water supply and sanitation concerns, preliminary analysis of emerging Poverty Strategy Reduction Papers (PRSPs) in sub-Saharan Africa (WSP, 2001) indicated that these concerns have not been adequately reflected. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than half of the countries which have produced interim or final PRSPs to-date. If water supply and sanitation problems continue to be inadequately articulated in PRS processes across the region, a key opportunity for reducing poverty through addressing water-related poverty will be missed. Now that the process of producing final PRSPs in subSaharan Africa is further advanced, a collaborative project* is setting out to examine the extent and manner, thus far, of inclusion of water issues in PRSs in five sub-Saharan African case study countries, and, where necessary, to promote better integration in the future. This policy brief aims to contribute to debate on water and poverty reduction, and to strengthening of the water elements in PRSs. It outlines key issues in relation to water and poverty: first, the intended functions of PRSPs, secondly, the scope of the water “sector” as related to PRSPs, thirdly, the application of sustainable livelihoods principles to national poverty reduction planning and, fourthly, organisational challenges for countr ies involved in PRS processes. Preliminary research findings to-date are then described in the final section of this brief.