Effective planning and policy implementation through strengthening and realigning enabling environments are critical to driving success in achieving SDG 6. However, evidence and appropriate data for policymakers and development actors to make this happen is missing, overlapping or even fragmented in most countries in Africa and the Middle East regions.
To help succeeding in this challenging task, UNU-INWEH co-organized the workshop “Using SDG 6 Policy Support System (SDG-PSS) to facilitate countries in Africa and the Middle East for water-related sustainable development”. UNU-INWEH and partners – the UN Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), the Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco), the Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea, and national partners from Ghana, Tunisia, Pakistan and Costa Rica – worked together during 2016-2018 within the framework of first phase of the joint project ‘Water in the World We Want’ and developed the SDG-PSS. This tool aims to help countries translate available data and information into a “fit-for-policy” evidence framework for collaborative planning to develop and implement water-related policies for strengthening the enabling environment for achieving SDG 6.
The workshop was held in Tunis, Tunisia on 3-4 July 2019 as a part of the second phase of the project. Water professionals, experts and policymakers from different countries in Africa and the Middle East discussed how the SDG-PSS can be used to produce critical evidence on the enabling environment of SDG 6.
The participants from several countries showed keen interest in learning key features of SDG-PSS. Among the key takeaways of the workshop, the participants addressed ways to improve the tool and integrate it into national-level monitoring and reporting systems for SDG 6 and other SDGs.
he SDG Project workshop welcomed participants from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Bahrain, the host country, Tunisia, and several UN, international and regional organizations (UNU-INWEH, UNOSD, UN-Water, UNDP, FAO, UNEP, and ICARDA).
The SDG-PSS is a user-friendly free system available online in English and French. A free web-based course is also available to provide training for systematic use of the tool. The SDG-PSS e-course can be accessed through the Water Learning Centre.
