A partnership for sustainable WASH

Since 2022, the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) and UNICEF have worked closely together to advance sustainable WASH services in Asia and the Pacific.

This collaboration spans a wide range of projects: mapping groundwater in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to identify viable drinking water sources, analysing WASH financial flows in East Asia to check alignment of investments with needs, and designing climate-resilient sanitation technologies in Afghanistan are just a few examples.

Partnering for impact 

The UNICEF-ISF partnership works on multiple levels. ISF brings research from diverse fields to address systemic issues of inequalities in access and sustainability of services. UNICEF mobilises political will and material resources to support countries form appropriate policies and deliver WASH services for children and their families in homes and institutions, including schools and health care facilities.  

Together, UNICEF and ISF join their respective strengths to create purposeful, evidence-based change towards safely managed, climate resilient service delivery. 

How it works 

The partnership leverages UNICEF’s close government relationships and engagement with communities throughout the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. First, ISF research staff and UNICEF country staff team up to identify pressing systemic WASH issues in each country. Then, they consider how applied research, knowledge exchange and wider partnerships can inform the necessary change. 

Real-world progress 

The partnership has resulted in many meaningful outcomes, including: 

• The launch of guidance on monitoring the contributions of WASH to community resilience at COP 30, connecting WASH to broader global adaptation goals 
• The development of Climate Rationales for Kiribati and Solomon Islands – key documents guiding national policymakers on how to integrate climate resilience into WASH services 
• Delivery of a nationally costed strategy to achieve universal basic WASH, health-care waste management and environmental cleaning services in Fiji’s health-care facilities 
• Dissemination of emerging evidence and practices to control greenhouse gas emissions from sanitation systems in low- and middle-income country contexts. 

UNICEF and ISF renewed their partnership agreement in 2026 and continue to create impact together. 

Learn more about UNICEF's work: https://www.unicef.org/water-sanitation-and-hygiene-wash  

And find further information on UNICEF-ISF partnership here: https://www.uts.edu.au/research/centres/isf/our-research/projects/unicef-uts-water-sanitation-and-hygiene-partnership