Enhancing the resilience of water, sanitation and hygiene services in conflict settings

Abstract The war in Ukraine has significantly affected the access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services (WASH) due to a widespread deterioration in water quality, destruction of infrastructure, disruption of power supplies, reduced financial resources, displacement of the population, and shortages in the workforce. The destruction of Kakhovka dam in 2023 caused widespread water scarcity in the south. Ensuring safe water supply became critical for protecting public health of the affected population. During the ongoing war the WASH sector continues to face multiple, compounding challenges that require coordinated responses and proactive preparedness. The response to these challenges highlighted a significant gap in global WASH guidance for conflict situations in industrialized countries. Responding to these challenges, the World Health Organization developed checklists to strengthen emergency preparedness and response to WASH services in conflict settings, which can be adapted for other industrialized country contexts. The aim of this undertaking was to develop rapid assessment checklists that support situation assessments to enhance the resilience of WASH systems to military attack, and to help ensure the maintenance, or rapid restoration of WASH services in case of disruption. The work was carried out during 2022- 2024 and involved various methods, such as consultations with a diverse range of stakeholders, series of focus group discussions with direct engagement of affected communities. This undertaking aimed to answer the following question - what are the priority actions needed to progressively improve WASH emergency readiness in a given conflict context? The result is a practical tool for guiding local authorities to set priorities and progressively improve WASH emergency readiness with a focus on protecting public health, thereby strengthening health security. The tool is adaptable to be utilized in conflict-affected settings and during public health emergencies. Key messages • The guidance with checklists provides an innovative tool to support coordinated efforts to enhance the resilience of WASH services in emergency settings, including conflict. • The checklist application facilitates a participatory approach through the extensive consultations with key WASH stakeholders concerned with emergency readiness.