The Engine Driving Real Results from SWA Sector Ministers’ Meetings
Since 2018, Sanitation and Water For All’s (SWA) Mutual Accountability Mechanism (MAM) has been the backbone turning bold promises made at Sector Ministers’ Meetings (SMM) into real, measurable progress on the ground. It’s not just a reporting tool – it helps build a culture of shared responsibility to make sure commitments turn into action, both nationally and across the global partnership.
How MAM Keeps Promises on Track
Every SWA Sector Ministers’ Meeting is a chance for governments and development partners to set ambitious goals for improving water and sanitation access at the national and global levels. MAM helps ensure commitments are:
Mutually Accountable – with clear targets, timelines, and roles for governments and all SWA constituencies, including civil society, academia, the private sector, utilities, and regulators
Continuously Tracked – progress is reviewed regularly through national multi-stakeholder platforms and peer exchanges, not only at high-profile meetings
Strengthened Over Time – lessons from each three-year cycle feed into improving and making commitments more inclusive
From landmark commitments at the 2019 Costa Rica SMM to the 2022 Indonesia SMM and now looking ahead to the 2025 Madrid ministerial meeting, MAM has enhanced sector focus, built political will, and fostered multi-sector collaboration that drives results in governance, financing, and climate resilience.
Uganda’s Holistic Approach: Bringing WASH into Health and Climate Plans
After the 2022 SMM, Uganda made great progress integrating water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) with health and climate policies by:
Establishing a dedicated WASH and Climate Task Force
Embedding WASH priorities in national Health-National Adaptation Plans (H-NAPs)
Expanding collaboration among government, civil society, and partners
This approach strengthens resilience where climate, health, and essential services come together – backed by ongoing MAM accountability.
Mali’s Milestone: Securing the Human Right to Water and Sanitation
Mali’s experience highlights MAM’s real impact. After the 2019 SMM, Mali’s water sector led the way to enshrine the human rights to water and sanitation in the constitution – a commitment first introduced in Costa Rica. This milestone:
Established legal government responsibility for universal water and sanitation access
Strengthened rights-based frameworks guiding national plans and budgets
Built multi-stakeholder coordination platforms that boosted resilience amid political challenges
Mali shows how accountability helps turn promises into lasting governance.
More Stories of Success
Malawi: Using MAM, Malawi improved sector coordination through government-led multi-stakeholder platforms that kept engagement strong during challenges like COVID-19. National reforms, including updates to the Water Policy and sanitation plans, stayed on track thanks to clear commitments and continuing accountability.
Paraguay: With MAM’s support, civil society gained a stronger voice in sector discussions, influencing national planning to better include marginalized groups and promote equity. This expanded participation increased political commitment and led to more inclusive strategies.
Cambodia: Since the 2022 SMM, Cambodia has boosted institutional capacity and sped up access to climate finance. A clear “climate rationale” now supports sector planning, with government training helping to integrate climate resilience at all levels of administration. These steps align national efforts with global climate goals and are supported by MAM.
Sierra Leone: The campaign against open defecation gained new energy through MAM-coordinated multisector efforts, backed by regular reviews and accountability moments. This helped mobilize resources and engage communities, improving sanitation coverage.
Keeping Momentum
With Sector Ministers’ Meetings every three years, MAM’s strong national focus and SWA civil society catalytic grants (supported by the EU) ensure accountability keeps going through:
Regular progress reviews and adjustments, as seen in Kenya
Continued partner engagement despite institutional changes, for example in Liberia
Aligning international aid with national priorities, like in South Sudan
Virtual accountability moments and flexible reporting to maintain momentum
Building Cross-sectoral synergies- Launching the Climate Resilient WASH Commitments MAM Thematic Brief
As countries prepare for the 2025 SMM, SWA is releasing a new MAM Thematic Brief on Climate-Resilient WASH (CR-WASH) Commitments. This resource responds to the growing momentum around the climate-water agenda, offering a practical framework to help governments and partners design commitments that are strategic, measurable, and aligned with national climate priorities.
The brief highlights a rapid rise in climate commitments through the MAM, increasing from just five in 2021 to over fifty by 2025. It introduces a five-part structure that helps clarify roles, align partner contributions, and connect actions to climate plans and financing strategies. With examples from countries such as Uganda, Pakistan, and Honduras, it illustrates how MAM is already supporting integrated, cross-sectoral action. Beyond tracking commitments, MAM is emerging as a vital tool for identifying trends and sustaining momentum around priorities like climate-resilient WASH. Read the briefing note.
As the global conversation shifts from ambition to implementation, this brief reinforces the value of MAM in helping partners stay focused, coordinated, and accountable well beyond high-level events such as the SMM.
Our work on realizing the human rights to water and sanitation is supported by the European Commission.
