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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Accelerating the Sanitation Economy and Menstrual Hygiene Marketplace

Sanitation & Hygiene Fund/UNOPS (
United Nations / Multilateral body
)
#SDGAction50327
    Description
    Description

    Achieving universal access to sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health is achievable but the world is simply not taking enough action. At the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund, we are aiming to be transformative in our approach. We are a dedicated UN fund that takes the best ideas from development financing and applies them to countries with the highest need, yet least ability to respond, to catalyze national sanitation economies.

    Working globally and with an initial footprint in Africa, SHF is mobilizing resources to develop and fund a pipeline of investable propositions to create sustainable sanitation economies and menstrual hygiene marketplaces, driving national targets and helping women gain greater economic hold. Our catalytic approach unlocks resources of multilateral and national development banks, finance institutions and governments, and enables the private sector to build lasting national sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual hygiene market ecosystems.

    In line with the UN Common Agenda, we put women and girls - their choice, voice and power - at the center of these markets so that they benefit from better health, education, jobs and a cleaner environment. We aspire to see thriving marketplaces where the poorest and most disadvantaged women and girls are able to take control of their bodies and their social and economic status.

    Expected Impact

    Progress towards the global target of achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and ending open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations, by 2030 is lagging behind. This means that more than 4 billion people globally are missing out on the education, gender, health, work and climate benefits that safe sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health bring, and 500 million menstruators are without the basics to manage their menstrual health and hygiene safely.

    Targets are missed because the available funding falls considerably short of the global need, and in many countries systems to support the sector are weak - lacking in regulation, reliable investment and capacity to deliver sustainable impact. Despite being basic economic, health, and social issues, they remain unaddressed.

    Similarly, funding for gender equality is not keeping pace with need, with only 4.6% of bilateral allocable ODA going to programmes where gender equality is the main objective. At the same time, it has been estimated that the potential global market for impact investing is as much as US$ 269 trillion (the financial assets held by institutions and households) and that the size of the impact investing market currently stands at US$ 1.2 trillion in assets under management. Channeling just a small proportion of this potential investment to social, environment and economic outcomes, would go a long way towards closing funding gaps.

    Sanitation, with its potential for growth, is a sound, long-term investment that creates prosperity. For example, estimates of the sanitation and menstrual hygiene market potential are in Nigeria US$ 14.2 billion, in Kenya US$ 3.1 billion and for Uganda US$ 3.4 billion. In addition, in emerging markets small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) create 7 out of 10 formal economy jobs, and because sanitation and menstrual hygiene economies can be leaders in job creation, the scope for employment is significant.

    In addition to progress towards SDG 6, investing in access to sanitation, hygiene and MHH drives impact across a broad range of development areas including SDG 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 13.

    Partners

    The Government of the Netherlands, Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS)

    The Government of Switzerland, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

    National governments, private sector, DFIs, MDBs, impact investors

    Goal 3

    Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

    Goal 3

    3.1

    By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births
    3.1.1

    Maternal mortality ratio

    3.1.2

    Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel

    3.2

    By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births
    3.2.1

    Under-five mortality rate

    3.2.2

    Neonatal mortality rate

    3.3

    By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases

    3.3.1

    Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age and key populations

    3.3.2

    Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population

    3.3.3

    Malaria incidence per 1,000 population

    3.3.4

    Hepatitis B incidence per 100,000 population

    3.3.5

    Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases

    3.4

    By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being
    3.4.1

    Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease

    3.4.2

    Suicide mortality rate

    3.5

    Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol

    3.5.1

    Coverage of treatment interventions (pharmacological, psychosocial and rehabilitation and aftercare services) for substance use disorders

    3.5.2

    Alcohol per capita consumption (aged 15 years and older) within a calendar year in litres of pure alcohol

    3.6

    By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
    3.6.1

    Death rate due to road traffic injuries

    3.7

    By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes

    3.7.1

    Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods

    3.7.2

    Adolescent birth rate (aged 10-14 years; aged 15-19 years) per 1,000 women in that age group

    3.8

    Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all

    3.8.1

    Coverage of essential health services

    3.8.2

    Proportion of population with large household expenditures on health as a share of total household expenditure or income

    3.9

    By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination
    3.9.1

    Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution

    3.9.2

    Mortality rate attributed to unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene (exposure to unsafe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All (WASH) services)

    3.9.3

    Mortality rate attributed to unintentional poisoning

    3.a

    Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate
    3.a.1

    Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older

    3.b

    Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all

    3.b.1

    Proportion of the target population covered by all vaccines included in their national programme

    3.b.2
    Total net official development assistance to medical research and basic health sectors
    3.b.3

    Proportion of health facilities that have a core set of relevant essential medicines available and affordable on a sustainable basis

    3.c

    Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States
    3.c.1

    Health worker density and distribution

    3.d

    Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks

    3.d.1

    International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity and health emergency preparedness

    3.d.2

    Percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms

    Goal 4

    Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

    Goal 4

    4.1

    By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

    4.1.1

    Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex

    4.1.2

    Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)

    4.2

    By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

    4.2.1

    Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex

    4.2.2

    Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex

    4.3

    By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

    4.3.1

    Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex

    4.4

    By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

    4.4.1

    Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill

    4.5

    By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations
    4.5.1

    Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated

    4.6

    By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

    4.6.1

    Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex

    4.7

    By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

    4.7.1

    Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment

    4.a

    Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

    4.a.1

    Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service

    4.b

    By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries
    4.b.1

    Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study

    4.c

    By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

    4.c.1

    Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level

    Goal 5

    Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

    Goal 5

    5.1

    End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

    5.1.1

    Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex

    5.2

    Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
    5.2.1

    Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age

    5.2.2

    Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence

    5.3

    Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
    5.3.1

    Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18

    5.3.2

    Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age

    5.4

    Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

    5.4.1

    Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location

    5.5

    Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

    5.5.1

    Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments

    5.5.2

    Proportion of women in managerial positions

    5.6

    Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

    5.6.1

    Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

    5.6.2

    Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education

    5.a

    Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

    5.a.1

    (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure

    5.a.2

    Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control

    5.b

    Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
    5.b.1

    Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

    5.c

    Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

    5.c.1

    Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment

    Goal 6

    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

    Goal 6

    6.1

    By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

    6.1.1

    Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services

    6.2

    By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

    6.2.1

    Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water

    6.3

    By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

    6.3.1

    Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated

    6.3.2

    Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality

    6.4

    By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
    6.4.1

    Change in water-use efficiency over time

    6.4.2

    Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

    6.5

    By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

    6.5.1

    Degree of integrated water resources management 

    6.5.2

    Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation

    6.6

    By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
    6.6.1

    Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

    6.a

    By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
    6.a.1

    Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan

    6.b

    Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

    6.b.1

    Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

    Goal 8

    Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

    Goal 8

    8.1

    Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries
    8.1.1

    Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita

    8.2

    Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

    8.2.1

    Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person

    8.3

    Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

    8.3.1

    Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex

    8.4

    Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead

    8.4.1

    Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP

    8.4.2

    Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

    8.5

    By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
    8.5.1

    Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities

    8.5.2

    Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

    8.6

    By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
    8.6.1

    Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training

    8.7

    Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms

    8.7.1

    Proportion and number of children aged 5‑17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age

    8.8

    Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

    8.8.1

    Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status

    8.8.2

    Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status

    8.9

    By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

    8.9.1

    Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate

    8.10

    Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

    8.10.1

    (a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults

    8.10.2

    Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider

    8.a

    Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries
    8.a.1

    Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements

    8.b

    By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

    8.b.1

    Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy

    Goal 13

    Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

    Goal 13

    13.1

    Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

    13.1.1

    Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

    13.1.2

    Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

    13.1.3

    Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

    13.2

    Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

    13.2.1

    Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    13.2.2

    Total greenhouse gas emissions per year

    13.3

    Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

    13.3.1

    Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

    13.a

    Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

    13.a.1

    Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025

    13.b

    Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities


     

    13.b.1

    Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    Name Description
    Work closely with governments and stakeholders to understand the status of market-shaping, identify market gaps, build robust investment cases, and improve the investment environment around the sanitation economy and the menstrual hygiene marketplace.
    Channel grant funding towards innovative solutions that address gaps in the provision of products, services, and facilities acting as a funder and co-investor. We seek to help scale interventions whilst ensuring they target the most vulnerable.
    Contribute to the body of knowledge around the longer term health, education, economic, climate and environmental impacts of investments in sanitation, hygiene and MHH.
    Financing (in USD)
    SHF start-up funding is provided by the Government of the Netherlands, Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), and the Government of Switzerland, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
    Staff / Technical expertise
    Staffing and technical expertise is provided by the SHF team and partners.
    Other, please specify
    SHF Board members provide high level commitment and support.
    No progress reports have been submitted. Please sign in and click here to submit one.
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    Timeline
    01 July 2021 (start date)
    31 December 2025 (date of completion)
    Entity
    Sanitation & Hygiene Fund/UNOPS
    SDGs
    3 4 5 6 8 13
    Region
    1. Africa
    2. Global
    Other beneficiaries

    All people without access to a safe toilet, hand washing and/or menstrual hygiene; enterprises and SMEs in the sanitation economy and menstrual hygiene marketplace.

    More information
    Countries
    Benin
    Benin
    Burkina Faso
    Burkina Faso
    Kenya
    Kenya
    Nigeria
    Nigeria
    Sierra Leone
    Sierra Leone
    Uganda
    Uganda
    Contact Information

    Dominic, Executive Director