Financing urban sanitation : public finance at national level

To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals to end open defecation and expand improved sanitation to all, new approaches and the finance that comes with it is needed. Mounting evidence suggests construction of latrines without further service provision in urban areas is highly inefficient and expensive for end-users not to mention the impact on human health, the environment and economic growth.

Domestic public finance offers an opportunity to close the funding gap for urban sanitation. Strong institutions can contribute to a whole-systems approach that takes into account the complexity of the faecal waste chain, from safe containment to collection, transport, treatment and reuse, but this requires large-scale investment. This 4-page brief focuses on public finance for urban sanitation at national Level: how does it look like now and how does it offer an opportunity to close the funding gap for urban sanitation.